The Wedding Games
by luv2writefanficcandycane
Summary: This story is about Katniss and Peeta. It's about Katniss's pregnancy, their wedding and the birth of their child. Hope you like it!
1. Chapter 1

I looked up at the ceiling, thinking of how I should tell Peeta, even telling Mother and Haymitch. They would all be difficult to tell. How embarassing would it be for me to tell Haymitch, the mentor who saw us grow? Mother would be pleased and I expect Peeta will be too. Then a thought suddenly came to me, what if the whole world found out? I mean, Peeta and I will always be remembered, always known. If the Capitol found out I had had or was having a baby would they-. I cut off my thought. I didn't want to think about it. Not now anyway. I sighed heavily before rolling onto my side to look at Peeta's face, only to be shocked to find him still awake. His eyes were staring at me intently.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, looking extremely concerned.

"I…I…I…You scared me to death!" I exclaimed.

"I was just worried, your heart rate suddenly went a lot faster and…and…"

"Don't worry. I was just thinking…" I quickyl explained.

"About what?" He curiously questioned.

"Err…nothing." I shuffled over to him and rested my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me, placing his left hand on my stomach, little did he know his future child was underneath some layers of me right now. We just lay there in the silence. Then, when I was about to turn round to kiss him, but something kicked me from inside. I gasped and slowly turned my head. Peeta gaped and stared at me. "I…I…I…"

I shot out of bead and ran down the stairs. I needed some time to think, alone. I heard Peeta's footsteps behind me. What was I thinking? Then it hit me, the kick in my womb. I stopped running, stood dead still for a couple of seconds before collapsing, but my whole body didn't reach the floor before Peeta's arms caught me. He carried me to the Living Room and lay me down on the sofa. I was still in shock, but he was there, above me, watching my face and I couldn't help but put a smile on my face. "What? Do I look stupid or something?" He smiled back.

"No, but what you just did seemed stupid to me! What were you doing? Trying to kill our child?" He wasn't angry, just happy and bewildered. I sighed and lifted my right hand to stroke his cheek.

"The thought gives me shivers. Why, why, why did you do this to me?" I ask, whinning.

"I love you too." Peeta replied and leaned down to kiss me. I left his cheek and used my hand to pull his head down. Peeta put his right hand on my stomach and his on the top of my head and stroked my hair. The kiss was long and passionate but I thought it was going to stop when suddenly, something kicked excitedly inside me. But, he didn't. He just kissed harder which made the kicking become harder. He finally stopped and lifted me up letting my legs dangle. He turned slightly so we were facing our mirror. I was standing in front of him and his arms were round me so I put my arm behind me and round his neck. I twisted my head slightly to see his beaming smile and even though the pain of knowing what was inside of me was so unbearably strong, I couldn't stop myself and had to smile back. Just a little smile, but that was shortly ended when I remembered I was pregnant! Peeta noticed my change and slowly lifted my grey top. I closed my eyes. I couldn't look at myself, though the urge to look became stronger when I heard Peeta gasp. "Katniss…" he stumbled.

That did it! I shot my eyes open, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see. There, right where I've felt the kicks was a very small but unmistakeable bump. I forced my self out of Peeta's grip and walked towards the mirror. My numb fingers slowly reached down and touched it. Then I realized something massive. "I can't walk down an aisle like this!" I exclaimed. Peeta burst out laughing. I didn't see what was so funny because our wedding was only two weeks away. He only laughed harder when he saw my distressed face but eventually stopped.

"You'll be fine! You haven't picked out a dress yet so you'll probably be able to get one that covers it slightly and anyway, does it matter? You can release the news then; it will be a happy wedding surprise!"


	2. Chapter 2

It had been about three days since Peeta found out. Everyday I would stay indoors while Peeta went off to work for half a day, then plan some more of our wedding. Peeta refused to let me help plan it, though I wasn't too bothered. I just wanted it to be our wedding day, so I was his and he was mine. Then, late in the evening, Peeta would come home and snuggle up with me on the sofa and we would watch TV together. I knew soon that we would probably be on the TV again. They might even make a huge deal out of our wedding! I can see the headline now: 'The Mockingjay and the Boy with the Bread finally tie the Knot'. Then the first paragraph would begin with: 'Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark finally got married yesterday after all these years…'. I sighed. I knew that even though the Capitol never bothered us anymore, all the 'big' news happening between Peeta and I would somehow be broadcasted by the Capitol.

Today, when I woke up, I decided I needed to get outside. I had been locked indoors for the past few days and I was starting to make myself insane with the torture. The pain of knowing something was inside of me, growing by the minute, literally almost gave me a heart attack. Peeta raised an eyebrow when he saw me with my hunting jacket on, but immediately realised I was doing no harm and hadn't got any intention of finding out anything to do with the Wedding. I ran outside, it was quite Sunny but it seemed like there may be a chance of rain later in the afternoon by the look of the clouds in the distance. I wasn't looking where I was going and suddenly bumped into Haymitch, who today of all days, wasn't drunk. "So what brings you outside sweetheart?" I fell silent. The truth was I was trying to avoid thinking about me being pregnant, but I couldn't say that! I had, anyway, promised myself that I would say anything to anyone about it until the wedding. So I made some convincing lie up that was near the truth.

"Oh, well I'm going hunting today because Peeta won't let me in on anything to do with the Wedding and I'm so bored alone in the house." Hatymitch questioned my answer, but didn't bother and just shook his head as he walked away.

ONE WEEK AND TWO DAYS LATER

Today, like any other day these past fews days have been, I woke up bright any early. Peeta still wasn't up today, though, but I knew why. Today was the day I would get to try on my dress. Although I told him I would pick out the dress, a couple of days ago, Peeta ran into our house when he came home and told me that he had found the perfect dress. Although I trust Peeta, I felt very scared. The thought of Peeta picking out my dress frightened me. What if it didn't cover my bump? I got dress into a baggy top and trousers. Something simple and covering. I walked down the stairs hoping to make myself a nice cup of tea, but I had only grabbed a couple of cheese buns before the doorbell rang. I was immediately confused, who would come here at this hour? I strided over the door and swung it open. She stood there, eyes looking at the Primroses. "I…I didn't know you were coming so early!" It had been so long since I last saw her. Well, a couple of years, but that was still a while.

"Yeah well," she said as she turned her head to glare at me, "I couldn't jolly well let the most important bride of Panem try on her Wedding dress without me being there!" She smiled, so I smiled back. It was nice to see her again. Suddenly, I threw my arms round her neck and gave her a massive hug.  
"Johanna!" I sounded a little childish, probably acting it aswell. It was then I saw Johanna wasn't the only one who had come. There, by the gate, stood Annie and Finn. I eyed Finn curiously. He was the spitting image of his father. I released Johanna who turned to face Annie and Finn and watched me walk over to them and give Annie a big hug. When stepped sideways, so I was directly infront of Finn, I couldn't help but put my hand on his head which he furiously shook off. "Boy, he's got the feist his father had!" I exclaimed. Finn grinned.

We all walked down to the Wedding dress shop on the highstreet. District Twelve has changed so much since the war. Before, Weddings were usually small things and you could only dream of being able to buy a beautiful white dress. I sighed. I wondered what I would do if Peeta picked out a dress I hated, but that thought was demolished after only a second. Peeta knew me too well, he would never pick out something I would regret wearing. No, the only thing I was worried about was that the dress wouldn't cover up my bump. When we were staring into the window of the shop, I felt a couple of tears roll down my cheek. For so long the people of Panem have been longing for the real Wedding, a real baby. The Mockingjay and the Boy with the Bread, the Girl on Fire and the Lover Boy, the star-crossed lovers from District Twelve, all different ways of describing us. Soon, my name would no longer be Everdeen. I took a deep breath in. Soon, there will be three Mellarks.

Johanna gripped my hand to say 'don't worry' but it also brought me back to reality. It was then that she dragged me into the store. The inside was filled with white garment bags on railings, pretty lights and a store owner. She took my hand from Johanna and led me towards the dressing room. She already knew who I was and what dress had been bought for me. Johanna, Annie and Finn sat down on the red velvet sofas and waiting impatiently for me. The Store owner asked me kindly if I could put a blindfold on. Peeta had asked for me to only see the dress when I was wearing it. I took no time at all to put the blindfold on. Frankly, I wasn't prepared to see it when I wasn't wearing it anyway. It would just make me not want to wear it. It was all very fast but slow in others. The store owner stripped me down and helped me step into the dress. I could feel the fabric as she pulled it up and tied something at the back. I was now shaking with fear.

When I felt her pulling away, I knew that this was it. She held my hand and guided me to the stand which was directly in front of a mirror. When I came into view, I heared Johanna and Annie gasp. However, I wasn't sure whether that was a gasp of happiness and joy or a gasp of sadness and shock. I hope that it was the first one. When I was standing still, the store owner moved her hand to the blindfold and counted down. "Three, two, one…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! I just want to say, thank you to everyone who has saved me one favourite story, alerts or even written a review. It means so much to me! Also, I may (if I can work out how it works) PM a hand drawn picture of Katniss's dress to the next five people who review! (Woop Woop!). They would get this PM the day I release the chapter with Peeta and Katniss's Wedding! Thank you again! luv2writefanficcandycane x **

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I gazed into the mirror. The girl looking back at me looked half-shocked, half-delighted. I led my eyes downwards. For the first time I saw myself being a bride. The dress was georgous. The neckline was sweethearts shaped, with a scatter of gems about four to five inches deep from the neckline. The skirt then started about just below my waist, thankfully covering my bump. It was gathered to the side, Held up by fabric primroses. Underneath this layer, was a diamond mine, which was partially concealed but showed enough to allow the dress to sparkle in the light. It was then I glanced to my left. There, were two young women looking at me as if I was the most beautiful woman ever. They held there expressions and they was silence in the room for a couple of minutes before Annie slowly asked, "Do you like it?"

I questioned my reply. I mean, of course I like, love in fact, but how to say this was complicated. The girl who swore she would never get married, trying on a Wedding dress and saying she loves it? I couldn't think of what to say, so I just nodded. It was so much easier than talking. I stared deeply into the eyes of Annie. Until she finally regiestered that it was the truth. I then turned to Johanna and whispered, "I love it." Johanna shrieked and the shop assisstant grinned. I lokked back into the mirror and smiled. I was ready. I was ready to become Peeta's wife. I was ready to become Mrs Mellark.

WHEN KATNISS GETS HOME

I opened the door and entered the house. It was silent. Peeta was still out which meant I had some time alone. I hurried over to the TV and switched it on. There, blaring out of the screen, said the words: TWO DAYS LEFT. I knew what it meant. To days till the most important Wedding ever. I sat down the sofa closing my tired eyes. The lady at the shop had told me Peeta didn't want me to try on anything else other than the dress, so I got changed back into the my normal clothes as soon as possible and huried out of the shop. Any more time in that dress, I would have cried.

Annie and Finn went back to their hotel, as Finn was getting restless and tired, leaving Johanna and I. We ended up going to a café, where we talked about my Wedding and our lives. I froze, however, when Johanna asked me whether or not Peeta and I had decided whether or not to have children. I didn't want to lie to Johanna, so I merely shrugged and took her immediately off the subject. All through the rest of our conversation, I questioned whether or not I should tell Johanna, but I never did.

It had been early afternoon when we said goodbye, but it was now three o'clock. Even so, I was already drifting to sleep and it wasn't long before I fell unconscious. It seemed like a second before I woke up. It was now late evening, I could teel from the dark outside and the closed curtains. The smell of cooking was all around the room so I got up from the sofa and headed towards the kitchen. Peeta was there, cooking bread and carrot soup. I groaned. I was so tired even though I must have been asleep for a few hours. I started to wonder whether or not there was something wrong with me. Peeta turned as soon as he heard me. He smiled, even when I walk over to him with a glum look on my face. I wrapped my arms around in and leant of his shoulder. "Nice day?" he asked. I knew he was waiting to hear my reaction to the dress, but I could only let out a mere mumble.

"Yes." He stopped stirring to look at me. I groaned again.

"What on earth did you do today?" he asked worriedly.

"Nothing much. Just went a certain dress shopping with people I haven't seen in a while and whom helped me when I led a rebellion that changed the whole country," I answered. Peeta chuckled.

"Well I hope you had fun. Seriously though, you've been asleep for hours and now your still tired?"

"I don't know why. I loved the dress by the way. It was perfect."

"I thought of a reason," he replied. I became confused. A reason why I loved the dress?

"Sorry?" I asked.

"I've might know the reason why you're so tired," Peeta explained. I would have released my frown, knowing now what he meant, but it only grew.

"What is that then?" I questioned. I was becoming increasingly concerned. What did he mean?

"The baby? Your pregnant, remember?" he answered. I groaned once again which only lead to him grinning. He finished cooking the soup and bread and we ate them while we were curled up together on the sofa. I eventually closed my eyes and felt his arms wrap around me, before I felt him carry me up the stairs and lay me on our bed. It wasn't long after that that I drifted to my humble sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello people! I just want to say, I'm really sorry I haven't updated for AGES. I really have no excuse. But...here's the next chapter. It's from Peeta's point of view and is set during the night from where Chapter 3 ended (if anyone's confused). This chapter is about when Katniss tells Peeta she'll have children (yes, I know, I love these moments aswell).**

**Also, well done to Supernerdcaitlin, TwiHunger, Random Thought Girl and Miss No-Eyebrows for winning the chance to receive a hand drawn drawing of Katniss' dress! There's only one more place up for grabs at the moment, but I'm thinking about extending the amount to ten people. How does that sound?**

**Finally, I've got some exciting news! It will probably not be started for a long while, but I have decided that I WILL be writing a sequel to this story. I'm not going to tell you anything other than the title (which is official at the moment). It will be called: The Show Games. While I leave you to ponder over that, I ask you, please please please write more reviews and tell other people about this story! Every review makes me smile and realise that people do actually like my work! Thank you soooooooo much!**

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Peeta POV

I stroked her hair as the cool breeze of the night whirled around the room, coming from the slightly open window. Katniss smiled in her sleep, which is an extremely rare sighting for me. I stared at her in the shadows of the moonlight burning down on her skin, creating magnificant diamonds glittering on her old battle scars. I traced my finger over one on her arm, faint but under deep concentration, still visible. Happy thoughts flooded my mind. All I've ever wanted in life since I first saw her, is coming crashing down on my life. Marrying Katniss officially and for real, having a child with her, her loving me with all her heart, but most importantly, Katniss being mine. My mind went back to a few months back, when Katniss told me she'd have them, children.

I was cooking some cheese buns in the kitchen when Katniss came in having gone hunting. I didn't notice the strange expression on her face. She pulled herself onto the kitchen counter, right by where I was cooking. She sighed before taking a deep breath, gasping for air as if she wasn't sure how to say something. "Peeta…" she stumbled, "Do you still want children?" I froze. There was complete silence in the room. This was not the sort of subject Katniss would bring up. It was me who was begging her for them.

"Yes, of course I do," I barely managed. It was still a strong statement, despite it sounding like a whisper. She sighed. I finally turned towards her. Her face was a pale white except for the blush in her cheeks. The white showing she was scared, but the red showing her embarassment. I put one hand on the counter either side of her. Closing her against the wall. "Why?" I suspiciously asked. She looked down, turning a bright red, before looking directly into my eyes. As she leaned forward to kiss me, she slipped off the side of the counter. She was still standing but trapped in the small space between me and the furniture.

I raised an eyebrow and looked sternly at her, waiting for an answer. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer towards her. "I'll have them," she stated, very quietly. "I'll have children with you." A huge smiled was painted on my face and she turned back to her normal colour, relief in her eyes. I was so happy, that words could not even describe it. She then started a small smile, but her mounth only twitched a little before I moved my head forward and kissed her. It was long and passionate, but we eventually found ourselves gasping for air. I smiled again.

"Are you sure?" I questioned, studying her face.

"Yes," she started confidently, "I want children." I continued to beam. Her words catching my ears like feathers, flower petals and songs.

"Well…" I said, not entirely sure what to say. I backed up from the counter but she still clinged on. A sudden thought came to my head. It would be embarassing to say this to anyone apart from Katniss. "When do you want to start trying?" I realised that she probably won't want them for another few years, but I'd like to know anyway. She blushed bright scarlet. She gulped before whispering her answer.

"Today?" I stared at her with wide eyes. I wasn't complaining or anything, but today? Who put all this into her head? I was sure that it was a trick, but then I saw the sign of her speaking the truth written all over her face. I frowned and look belwildered but smiled all the same.

"Katniss, we're not even nineteen yet! So you really to be a teen Mom?"

"We're not teenagers. We're adults and we would be nineteen when…if…our child is born." I gaped at her. I saw the determination written all over her. I went over and stood next to her, gripping her hand.

"OK, but only if you're sure about it…"


	5. Chapter 5

**HEY EVERYBODY! Look, I am soo sorry I haven't updated earlier. Things got in the way, but I can't believe i hadn't uploaded the chapter because its been saved on my computer for so long! Anyways, this is the next chapter. ONE DAY TO GO TILL THE WEDDING! However, there are still to be one or two (probably two) more chapters till the Wedding (sorry everybody!)**

**Good News! I have decided to stretch my competition to up to ten people. (I know! How good am I? _Your probably thinking now: this person is soo weird_)**

**More Good News! I had a HUGE brainwave the other day and had such a good idea for the Wedding! Get ready people for a touching Haymitch and Katniss conversation here!**

**Even More Good News! I am questioning whether or not to post a preview chapter of the sequel to this story! What do you think? It won't give anthing away too much, just a little taster!**

**Even Even More-ok, it's not exactly the most favourable news for you guys. I am only posting the first Wedding chapter IF I get 25 reviews! So pleeeeease review! I love all you guys and your fantastic comments and it really warms my heart when I know someone has read my story/a newly published chapter! THANK YOU EVERYONE! ENJOY X**

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I opened my eyes to the sound of birds. The Mockingjays whistled through the open window as the obvious thought came to my mind. _One day left_. Seeing as the bed was empty, I guessed Peeta must have rushed off to do the last minute preperations. I was sure I was to see many guests also arriving today. I jumped off the bed and started walking towards the hallway and I felt a twitch, then nausea. I ran to the bathroom and only just managed to get there, before I was sick in the toilet. I lifted my hand to pull my hair back, only realising that somebody else was already there. I gripped the warm hand and sighed. I'd finished, flung the toilet seat down and flushed the toilet. I then turned round, sat down and stared into the blue eyes. "You alright?" he almost whispered. I slowly nodded.

"I thought you'd gone out…" I burst out. He smiled and took my hand. He lead me down the stairs and into the living room. He gestured for me to sit down, before disappearing into the kitchen. I put my hand on my abdomen. I slowly went over to the sofa and sat down. I switched the TV on. Like yesterday, three words blasted right in my face, but the first was different. 'ONE DAY LEFT'. It only lasted three seconds though, before the words disappeared and were replaced by the face of Interviewing himself. Caesar Flickerman earned a full-time show. The Rebels saw that he shouldn't pose any threat and he meant no harm after the war, so he was invited to be part of the 'crew'. I listened very carefully to what he was saying.

_"So after all that has happened, all the lives lost and all the happiness afterwards, the Star-crossed lovers from District 12 are finally getting married!"_ Peeta came back, set something down on the table and came and sat next to me.

"Are you-"

"Sssh!" I spitted, quite rudely, but he didn't take it offencively and saw that I was listening to the chatty person on the screen. He very quietly chuckled, probably thinking back to the hilarious times he and Mr Flickerman had. I leant forward slightly in anticipation.

_"With one day to go, will the couple call and say something? Well, we'll have to find out!"_ I looked at Peeta. It was obvious that the Capitol badly wanted us to call in, and this was just a way of getting us too. In the corner of my eye I saw that Peeta had set down a plate of cheesy buns. The smell glided to my nose. Before I realised what I was doing, I had leant over Peeta, grabbed one and stuffed it in my mouth. He smiled.

"Well, that answers my question," he started, but hung at the end of the sentence, as if wanting to continue. There was a long pause before he started again. "Shall we?" glancing over to the screen. I knew what he meant, of course. I bit my lip and sighed.

"Well, seeing that you planned the entire Wedding, I think I should let you decide, though, I don't really want to," I answered. Peeta smiled at me.

"That's good, because I didn't really want to either. Anyway, Annie, Finn and Johanna will be coming over soon, and your Mother later." I sighed. Dear old Annie, the girl who lost her husband before the birth of their son. I thought for a few moments about how Finn must be doing. He's just turned one I think, or something of the sorts. He's walking, though not exceptionally well. He's incredibally sweet and reminds me a lot of his long lost father, Finnick Odair. I felt a small tear roll down my cheek and saw that Peeta had left me, probably to check on whatever he was cooking for lunch. I'd only just realised what the time was and had slept in really late. I wiped the tear away with the back of my hand and pressed the off button of the TV, only to hear the doorbell go off. "I'll get it!" I shouted. I lifted my body off the sofa and staggered down to the front door. The doorbell rang again. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" I exclaimed before I swung the door open. "Hey-" I started, but my sentence was drawn short when I saw someone else to whom I expected standing there. My Mother was early.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! Before anything else, I'd like to congratulate Random Thought Girl for being my most loyal reader and reviewer! Well done!**

**Now, I hope you guys are happy for me posting this so soon! I just had to write this chapter! It's longer than any of the others because I wanted to be able to start writing the Wedding! So instead of two chapters, I made one!**

**So THE WEDDING WILL BEGIN IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. (woop!) But I may not post it, unless I get my twenty-five reviews! Will be back soon! Bye! X**

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We stared at eachother for a few moments, blue eyes meeting grey ones, before I dived into a hug. I held her strong in my arms, weeping. I felt her smile and then her tears. All of this happening not even inside the house. We were a statue for at least a minute, during which the most unhelpful thing happened. It kicked. Quite hard too! Maybe it didn't like the pressure, maybe to get attention or maybe just to prove the point it existed. I said nothing and tried to keep the embrace going, but my mother pulled away. She looked at me with wide eyes before excaliming, "Katniss, you're not even nineteen! What has that boy put in your head!" I acted bewildered and confused as if I had no idea what she was talking about, but she saw right through me and shook her head slightly. "You know jolly well what I'm talking about young lady!"

I bit my lip and looked down. It was no use. She knew I was pregnant and that was that. I guess I should had known that I would never have been able to keep it from her, she is a nurse. I guess two people is OK, seeing that I'm releasing the news to the whole world tomorrow. I took her hand and led her inside as I couldn't stand having this whole thing at my front door. I began to take her upstairs when I heard a cry. "Who is it Katniss?" Peeta shouted from the kitchen. I turned to Mother who raised an eyebrow.

"Err…" I knew I couldn't hold this for long, so I gave up, "My Mom." Thankfully, Peeta seemed preoccupied with whatever he was doing and simply replied.

"OK, be there soon! Just finishing lunch!" I hurried my way up the rest of the steps and into my room. I sat down on the end of the bed and watched at my Mother slowly entered the room. As she neared me, she held her hand out.

"Can I see?" I sighed and stood up. I pulled up Peeta's shirt that I was wearing and revealed the bump. She gasped and pleaced her hand on it. It soon eagerly replied by a small kick. "It's moving quite early, I'm guessing you're in the three month stage?" She looked at me and I could only nod. She released her grip and I sat down quickly back on the bed. "My girl. My girl, having a baby. I'm too young to be a grandmother!" I smiled. Even if she hadn't always been there for me, she was my mother.

"Having fun?" His voice asked. We both turned to face him in shock, not realising he was there. He walked over to us and sat down next to me. Our hand intwined on my knee. Mother smiled, though I'm not too sure about what.

"You know, you should really get her checked. I mean, at the hospital or Doctors," she half-explained, half-stated as if for our benefit.

"Of course," Peeta said. I was about to say I wouldn't when a thought came to my mind. I turned to Peeta and asked him a question to which I was sure the answer was 'to check on you'.

"So why did you come up here?" Peeta smiled.

"Well, I just thought you'd like to know that our other guests are here." I opened my mouth to reply to that, but I was was rudely interuppted by Miss Johanna Mason herself.

"No Way!" she exclaimed very slowly. "YOU'RE PREGNANT!" I groaned. This is exactly not what I needed! She fast-walked over to me, Mother and Peeta getting out of the way, and basically shouted in my face "And you couldn't have told us this yesterday!" I shrugged, yet I saw she wasn't the only one who had found out.

"I'm so happy for you!" squealed Annie, who was holding a one-year-old boy on her hip occupying himself with a teething ring. She set Finn down on the floor and rushed over to the rest of us. I turned to Peeta, who was now right next to me again.

"And you didn't tell them to wait downstairs!"

"I did," he explained, "But they must have started looking from when I came into the room. I had no idea until you asked why I had come up." I sighed. I was never going to get away from this. I then stood up and pulled up the shirt again as I did for Mother, only this time for Annie and Johanna. They literally started hyperventilating and Mother had to order them to calm down.

We ate lunch next, which was a gorgeous soup of some kind, and I was lucky enough not to have to throw it up afterwards. All those times I had hidden my nausea from Peeta, worried that it might trigger him to understand what was causing it. All that was gone now and I was somehow happy. Happy to share our gift with three people close to us. Happy to be carrying Peeta's child. Happy to be part of a family. Of course, the Wedding and pregnancy were a big talk for the rest of afternoon, when we weren't watching poor Mr Flickerman begging us to call. I spent the whole afternoon snuggled in Peeta's warmth, no matter what was happening. It even made me so tranquil, that I dozed off. When I woke, I was not where I was and I couldn't feel Peeta's warmth. In fact, I felt _cold_. I was in an unfamliar room, with white walls. I was lying on a white bed, my hand in Peeta's. I opened my eyes fully and saw them, Annie, Johanna and Mother. Annie and Johanna were sitting at the far end of the room, waiting patiently for something and Mother was fiddling round with a monitor or something. She turned when I woke up and said to the others "Told you that would wake her up."

I looked to find the source which was now called 'that'. I saw it only a moment later. Gel…cold gel. Then it hit me, I was in a hospital! I pretended I didn't know and asked the obvious question. "Where are we?" Peeta smiled. I knew he knew that I was lying in not knowing where we were, but he answered my question anyway.

"In a hospital room love. I carried you here from our house."

"Wait! You carried me all the way here unnoticed!" I exclaimed, now fully wide awake.

"To be fair…no. Some people noticed when we were in the streets, but they seemed to let it go. Here, well the front desk was empty and your Mother explained that some people weren't coming in today, so the hospital was almost empty. Nobody saw us in the building. Also, I think you can guess what we're here for." Oh you bet I did. I would never say yes to getting checked, so the only way of getting me checked was to come here when I was asleep. About then was when my Mother spoke up.

"Right. Are you ready to see your baby?" I had hardly answered, though, before she put the transducer on my abdomen. I closed my eyes. Did I really want to see this? Or would this just make me even more terrified than I already was. I couldn't hold on long however, because a very excited Peeta make me look.

"Katniss! Look!" he just managed. He patted my arm very quickly which only frustrated me and my eyes shot open. There, on the screen, was a tiny human shape. My Baby. I glanced over to Mother, and I could see the small tears forming in her eyes, happy tears. That was what set me off. I weeped, not in hate or sadness, but that of joy. True, there was fear, but mostly happiness.

"Well I never thought I'd see the day, Katniss Everdeen crying over an unborn baby," Johanna pointed out, but she smiled. Annie was completely overwhelmed by the situation and started sobbing a bit. It was then Finn, who I completely missed because he was sitting out of the my view on the floor at the foot of the bed, walked on his chubby little legs to Annie. Annie swept him up and started crying on his shoulder. If only Finnick were here. That was his job, his shoulder was her shoulder to cry on.

Eventually we stopped crying and Mother printed out the photo of the ultrasound. She put everything away as the rest of us waited, before we all crept out of the hospital. Luckily, it was almost Sunset so there were very few people out. I luckily still wearing Peeta's shirt so nobody suspected any pregnancy happening. If fact, people literally just glanced over to our group to see who it actually was. The orange glow filled the air as Peeta and I swayed our linked hands. "Tomorrow will be the happiest day of my life," he suddenly mentioned. I'd completely forgotten about it after all the commotion, but that reminded me of the following day… our Wedding.

Peeta quickly heated up some lamb stew which I'd no idea where he'd gotten from. We all ate in happiness, but in almost silence. We didn't say much at all until came our farewell till the following day. Mother was pulled out of the house by Johanna and Annie, who then scurried her along to where they were all staying, Peeta's old house. Peeta saw the tiredness in my eyes and escorted me up the stairs and into our room. He held up my nightdess an ordered me to go and dressed. He got dressed too, but I took so long that he'd probably be able to change into his night clothes and back to his day clothes twice! I collapsed onto the bed and then Peeta drew the covers over me, before getting under them himself. I shuffled over to his warm body and he wrapped him arms around me. He planted a kiss on my forehead before whispering "Goodnight Katniss Everdeen." With that, I fell into my slumber, having no nightmares the entire night. Probably the best I'd slept in a long while. Except maybe the bit when I was woken up by some very familiar faces in the early morning.

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**REMEMBER: twenty-five reviews!**


	7. Chapter 7

**BLIMEY! I come back from Holiday and it says I have 28 reviews and I'm like YAY! Then, when I click on the reviews to read them, I see that I have loads of guest reviews. So I actually have 39 reviews! I am so happy and soooo grateful for you to be reading my work. This isn't a lie, but I actually felt like crying with joy. THANK YOU!**

**Also, I have decided now to post a preview chapter of my next story, The Show Games. When you go to it, please also click on the image because it is in fact a poster.**

**Finally, well done to those who are getting a picture from me of Katniss's dress.**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH. Luv ya all x**

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Of all people, hovering above me were my old Prep Team. I couldn't believe they were here and I instantly knew that was something to do with Peeta's doing. I streched out with my hand to find Peeta's missing body. I groaned. I knew the next few hours would be filled with the happy chatter of Flavius, Venia and Octavia. Flavius, who still had his orange curls and trademark purple lipstick,Venia with the Aqua hair and gold tatoos and Octavia who had settled with the auburn natural colour but kept her green skin, now a light green. My old prep team. It was then that Octavia spoke up. "You and Peeta are so cute curled up together!" She then clasped her hand to her mouth, as if she was not meant to say that. I groaned even louder and Flavius and Venia giggled very quietly. That's when they stood back and made me get out of bed. Fortunately, my nightdress was baggy so concealed my bump. I then asked where Peeta was and they told me he'd been hauled out of bed at four in the morning. 'Couldn't have him seeing me-talking in fact-before the ceremony'. It was my turn to laugh now, poor Peeta!

"So what time is it now?" I questioned, really wanting to know.

"Just past six. The ceremony is at three this afternoon." Flavius explained.

"Three? That's about nine hours away!" I exclaimed. Surely it didn't take that long to prepare me!

"I know! We told Peeta we should have ten but he insisted that you needed your beauty sleep!" Venia replied. They honestly thought I was worried that we wouldn't have _enough_ time. I shook my head and just smiled. Oh God, this would be a long day…

"Right! Let's get started!" Octavia said, buzzing with excitement. They each took turns designing me, starting with Octavia. She buzzed around me, removing body hair from every place you can imagine. She fixed up my eyebrows, after exclaiming that I should have continuously done them like she had done in previous times and not just let them be. Venia then did my nails very slowly and cautiously, as if every one of them was a bomb that if done wrong or had a too hard touch, would explode. Falvius then did my hair. He kept it secret from me though as apparently I wasn't allowed to look at myself until I was completely ready. They all chattered as they were going about their work. How excited they were for today, how they were honoured to be my stylists for my Wedding, how they were enjoying their new lives in the Capitol. Flavius even mentioned that they were thinking of starting a beauty course. I sometimes commented, but mostly just let them get on with it.

Then they all turned to my make-up. They all scurried round me on that department. The scars had faded slightly, but the traces were still there. They somehow managed to cover them up, well, Octavia did. Venia and Falvius worked on my face, doing everything but my lips. I wondered why at first, but my answer soon came because somehow, six hours had managed to pass and it was now time for lunch. I was starving and absolutely craving cheese buns. Flavius explained that I had half an hour to have lunch, and with that, all three of them scurried out of the room like five year olds and was replaced by my mother. She peeked her head round the corner, but then charged in with a shocked face. "Katniss! You're so beautiful! You look absolutely amazing!" I looked down. There was no way I could look amazing, I was still wearing my nightdress! Compared to her, who was wearing a light pink fitting dress and cardigan, I looked like a scruff-bag. Then I realised she was talking about my face, the one that my prep team had banned me from seeing.

"No, you're the one that looks amazing!" I replied. She shook her head, but left it there. Apparently though, there was more.

"Well did you like the dress?"

"Yes, of course I did. I love it to bits!"

"Would you then mind if…" She hung on to the sentence, but sighed. I didn't say anything but I knew something was coming. Something I probably wouldn't like. My Mother then said it very fast, but slow enough to be able to catch what she was saying. "Haymitch is walking you down the aisle." I gaped.

"What?!" I screamed. I am going to kill Peeta, I thought. However, I did ask my Mother, to check. "Is this Peeta's idea?" Her answer shocked me.

"Nope," she just plainly said, as if she completely missed my tantrum. In fact, she looked quite proud of herself, as if-then it hit me, hard.

"This was your idea!" I exclaimed.

"Yes," she replied, still looking very smug.

"But why?" Her face straightened, but then a small smiled formed, defining her faint wrinkles.

"Katniss, everyone knows Haymitch might as well have been your father," I tried to say something, but she put her finger on my lips. "When your father dies, I was lost. You became the head of the family when I should have been, but I let you and Prim down. When you went into the Games, everyone in District twelve saw that Haymitch was trying to save you and Peeta, and not just leaving you to die. He saw that bravery in you, he saw that you could win. You might not see it, but it's true," she explained. I knew I couldn't say that it wasn't her fault for what she did, because it is true and we bother know it, but why can't it be her?

"Why can't you?" I pathetically asked.

"It's a gentlemans job. As drunk as Haymitch may sometimes be, he's the closest man in your life, not including Peeta." There was a long silence but eventually, my Mother tried to change the subject. "Do they know?" she whispered. I got confused. My Mother saw this and told me what she meant. "Do your prep team know abot your pregnancy?"

"No," I answered, hoping to end it there, but I found myself continuing. "It'll be easier if they found out later, when everybody else does. They's just go nuts other-wise." We both laughed. Then something came to me. "No! They'll strip me down when I have to put the dress on!" My Mother continued laughing though, and shook her head.

"Well, I'll leave you to get yourself out of that one!" and with that, she started to leave the room, but before she did, she put a brown paper bag on the dressing table. "Oh, this is your lunch. Peeta insisted he bake them for you this morning." She then left the room and walked downstairs, leaving me to listen to her footsteps. I grabbed the bag and started scoffing down the slightly warm cheese buns. I walked over to Peeta's bedside table and sat down on the bed. At first I just sat there, staring at the papers piled all over it eating my buns, but as I was taking the first bite into the fourth and final one, something caught my eye. I picked up the sheet, only to find my ultrasound picture. I looked down at it for a long time, carefully outlining very little detail about the living thing growing insde of me. My baby. Peeta's baby, the one he'd wanted for a long time. No more lies, just the truth.

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**So please come and check out my preview chapter of The Show Games! Please keep reviewing and I will try and post the next chapter soon. Thank You x**


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, I have decided to post two/three chapters today, so read on!**

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It was then that I turned it over and found the following surprise. On the back he had written the date, time and place of my ultrasound scan and below was a little message: 'Three months into Katniss's pregnancy and our Wedding tomorrow, I could not be more happier.' I wanted to cry, but I knew I had to be strong, for Peeta and for my prep team who would go berlistic after they told me to be careful. As if right on cue, my prep team came back in chatting away, so I shoved the photo into the small pile of papers. Thankfully, they didn't see me do that, but they did start preparing something that I had never seen before. I couldn't really tell from a distance, but from how Flavius was stirring it and when he sometimes accidentally titled it towards me, I could tell it was a thick clear substance. "What's that?" I suddenly asked to which they all turned their heads towards me.

"My dear, unfortunately your dear Peeta told us not to tell you. Though, its an incredible concoction that was recently created," Octavia nattered, very fast but clear. I let is pass. If Peeta had told them to use it, I would surely be fine with it. It was then Venia who spoke.

"You've still got five minutes, but if you're ready..." she hinted. I just sighed, but smiled. They haven't changed.

"OK! Let's continue." They literally jumped for joy, but sill somehow managed to get me to sit down in the chair they had placed in front of the covered mirror. I started to wonder what on earth could take more than an hour which they hadn't already done. My answers were found soon after because Flavius explained that the next thing they were doing was very fiddly and needed full concentration. I finally though I would get some peace from them, but they somehow managed to talk and chatter about things that I mostly really didn't care about. Every so often I felt something cold on my head as whatever they were doing was to my ahir and i gathered they were using that substance Flavius was mixing. However, what were they actually doing to it?

After goodness knows how long, they had finished with my hair and they instructed me to strip down to my bra and pants. Well, to strip down completely then put a new pair of bra and pants on that I'd never seen before in my life. This was the moment I had been dreading. I had been ok when Octavia was doing my waxing, because she let me keep my nightgown on and cover myself with a folded towel, but now... I was ordered to the bathroom where I got changed before pacing around the small room with a towel wrapped around my body. What was I supposed to do? Before long I head Venia's distant voice shouting "Are you nearly done dear?" I managed to shout a reply.

"Almost! I'll be out in a sec!" About a minute later I head Octavia's very close voice.

"Right! That's it! I don't care what you say I'm coming in right now!" I held up my hands but only got to the letter 'N' before she burst into the room, flinging the door back as she did. She just stared at me. I looked down at my hands and realised I had release my grip on the towel, which had now fallen to the floor. She looked up to my face and almost screamed. "KATNISS EVERDEEN YOU ARE-" but she got cut off when I put my hand over her mouth.

"Please don't shout," I mentioned. This is not how I planned it to be, even if I did have a plan. I put my hand down, but then Octavia's fingers clasped onto mine and pulled me out of the bathroom. She hurled me across to the bedroom and rushed in. I bit my lip and focused on Venia and Flavius. They gasped. The room was tense and silent for a moment, until my prep team had a total meltdown.

"Oh my! I'm so happy for you two!"

"You should have told us! Oh, I'm feeling faint."

"Peeta is without doubt the luckiest man ever!"

I let them sob and fuss over me, which ended up lasting at least five minutes. Then they pulled themselves together and to my dismay, put a blindfold on me. "So, who else knows?" Flavius asked out of the blue. I felt the fabric of the dress touched my skin as they pulled it up.

"Peeta, Annie, Johanna, Mother and you three. Also, why do I need a blindfold? I've already seen my dress you know." They totally ignored my question but continued with the conversation over my pregnancy.

"What! Haymitch doesn't know!" I gulped. It was true, Haymitch didn't know. I felt someone grip my ankle and force in upward from the ground. At first I had no idea what they were doing, until I realised they were trying to put shoes on me. I relaxed and my foot slid easily into a shoe. High heeled, 'damn them' I thought to myself.

"You can't tell anyone! At least not until this afternoon. I'm going to break the news to everyone at the Reception or whatever." They paused.

"Like, to everyone in Panem?" I could only nod in reply. There was silence and for a moment I thought they were going to have another meltdown, until I heard the front door open and close. Voices started from downstairs. My Prep Team seemed to register this and whispered in my ears that it was nearly time for me to go down and show them what I looked like. This could only mean that those voices were people like Mother, Annie, Johanna and...Haymitch. I took a deep breath in, then back out. Was I ready? Was I ready to face them? Was I ready to get married. Probably not, but it was happening now, so I had to put up with it. I felt Venia's hand take mine and she started to walk, pulling me along. I could hear Flavius and Octavia rush downstairs first. All I could hear now was the hushed whispers of people telling people to be silent. My breathing and my heartbeat. Venia's grip tightened, which told me to walk downwards. I felt the first step creak slightly and everyone held their breath. The rest of the walk was slow and steady but we got there in the end. We entered the room where everyone was waiting and I could only dream of their faces. Their loud gasps told me they were shocked, happy shocked. Even though I knew I couldn't, I swear I could feel Haymitch's grin. Venia told me to stand very still and then I could feel her delicate fingers untie the blindfold and it fell.

At first the light was too strong and seemed to blind my eyes, but then the fuzziness died away and I could see myself in the mirror that was set before me. If I'd told myself that I looked pretty in the dress the other day, then I now looked mega beautiful. My Prep Team had completely made up, I could even tell what the flowers were that were placed in my hair and on my shoes. Evening Primrose. If Peeta had anything to do with this, which I knew he did, then I would owe him for the rest of my life. I felt the stray tear roll down my cheek and someone passed me a tissue. I dabbed it lightly where the tear had left a trail, before turning to face my audience. Annie's eyes were glowing, as she held little Finn, who was dressed adorably. Johanna was smiling like she never had before, Mother was beaming proudly and Haymitch, well Haymitch just had his eyebrows raised and a little smiled twitched on his face, but the weirdest thing was what he was wearing. He was wearing a clean shirt! I hadn't seen one of those on him since...since...a long time ago. "You look pretty sweetheart," he said. I bit my lip again. He still didn't know, even though everyone else in this room did. However I just couldn't tell him. Anyway, he was sober. "Well done Cinna."

A frown appeared on my face. "Cinn-a? Cinn-a ma-de this?" I stuttered, totally stunned.

"He designed it," Johanna perked up. The truth hit me hard. Cinna had designed this dress. Somehow, he had always known I would get out of the Quarter Quell and that Peeta and I would get married, no matter what happened. At that moment, a small bell rang from outside. I glanced outside and gaped at the carriage. It was covered in flowers, bright coloured flowers. It was white, not the dusty brown of the old District 12. My eyes widened as I continued to stare. Everyone around me seemed to rush though and I accepted the light hugs from Annie, Johanna and Mother. I heard them say something along the lines of 'I'll see you there'. Then they rushed out of the house, passed the carriage and ran down the street. That left me and Haymitch alone. He spoke up first.

"Ready?" I turned to face him. For once, his face was actually full of a little bit of concern. I shook my head.

"Nope. But I'm as ready as I'll ever be." I grabbed his wrist, not wanting to let go. He didn't pull away.

"Well it's too late to back out now." With that, we walked towards the door and let the warm air surround us. This was what told me, it was time.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm not sure whether or not I'm going to post another chapter today, but here is the next one.**

**I just wanna say, I'm TERRIBLE at all this lovey mushy stuff so I couldn't go into the ceremony into much detail, but I hope you like it anyway. x**

**This is the chapter everyone's been waiting for.**

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Frankly, I wanted to just run towards the carriage and hide in the smallest corner, but it was my Wedding Day, and I couldn't mess this up. I didn't even realise that Haymitch was trying to get me to take the choafers hand until he thumped me hard on the back. "Ow!"

"Well watch where you step!" He exclaimed, acting all innocent. I rolled my eyes at him. Before taking the choafer's hand. He led me into the carriage where I sat down, staring out the window. From the moment I stepped outside, I could hear the music. Even now, in the carriage, I could still hear it. Haymitch stumbled in, even though he wasn't drunk, and handed me a bouquet of katniss and primrose plants. _'Peeta's got it just right, again'_ I thought. Prim would have been my bridesmaid, if i ever actually decided to get married. Now even though she's gone, a little piece of her will walk up the asile aswell, no matter how small. "You know, for a bride, you're not exactly doing very well." I ignored him and just continued to stare out of the window. I couldn't see much yet, but I knew that as we drove around town, people would be outside, watching the carriage like a hawk.

Suddenly, we started moving and I jumped. "Surely that didn't _scare_ you?" Haymitch asked slyly. He was just getting annoying now, so I glared at him. "Your kids better watch out when you've got that look on." I looked startled. Had someone told him?

"Who said I would have children?" He tried not to laugh and I realised he didn't know.

"Sweetheart, if Lover Boy got you to marry him I swear he'll be able to convince you to have kids with the drop of a hat." I wanted to scream at him, but i knew that that would only lead me to blurting out that I was infact pregnant, so I dismissed him. At first, he seemed startled himself why I hadn't continued like I usually would, but he didn't hang on to that thought for long. As we rounded a corner, out of nowhere, crowds began to cheer. When I said, people would be out, I mean SOME people. Not the whole District! I had to put up with it though and I had to admit, it was making me feel special. Little children threw petals, people danced, mothers telling their confused children about me and pointing at the carriage. I felt my hand come up and started shaking. I didn't know what I was doing until I saw my hand move from side to side.

Haymitch slumped back in the carriage, so was pratically hidden, while I was waving. For the third time today, I bit my lip. Maybe today was going to be the best day of my life.

I started to notice that we were heading for the town square, the one where they used to hold the reapings. It was also where Weddings were usually held in District 12. Tradition, crept into my mind. Peeta knew my favourite type of Wedding, would be the traditional type of Wedding. Not the Capitolised Wedding. When we eventually, reached the Square, I saw Peeta had kept to tradition, just added his own little touch. Flowers and Ribbons surrounded the place, giving it the bright feel of the meadow. It was small, with a few guests, obviously people we knew. Greasy was there, were her little grandaughter. Even Delly was there, with a man. For a moment I thought of Delly, thinking of how her life must have changed since the war. Then I saw Peeta, and the whole of my world was focused on him.

The ceremony went far to quickly. I could feel Haymitch's strength as we walked up the asile, holding me back so I wouldn't run down the asile and hug Peeta as tightly as I could. When he placed my hand in Peeta's, he whispered his famous words of advice to him, this time more of a 'joke' and sarcastic way. "Stay Alive." Peeta and my eyes were focused on eachother, I owed so much to this boy, and I loved him so much. We said our vows, which was easier for me than I ever expected it to be. I could feel the tears filling my eyes. When the man conducting pronounced us husband and wife, I felt the tears fall down my face as I smiled. When we kissed, everyone seemed to disappear for a moment, and we were in our own little world. Safe, forever.

We turned to face the square, which was now filled with cheering people. Peeta cocked his eyebrow at me and I nodded back. We held up our hands together, as we had done on the carriage at the 74th Hunger Games Tribute Parade. Only this time, it was real. Peeta was mine and I was his, nothing would ever change that.

Peeta led me up the steps to the newly built Justice Buliding, or town hall as it was now called. It no longer looked sinister, it looked like a palace in my eyes today. I hadn't been inside yet, so when we entered it came as a shock. It was white and creamy coloured everywhere, Peeta guided me to a hall which had been transformed. I knew that even without the decorations, it was a completely different room to anything I'd ever been in before. I leant my head on Peeta's shoulder and whispered "Thank You."

We locked our eyes on eachother and he whispered back. "Anything for you." I beamed. Today had been my perfect day. We kissed again, fireworks exploding in my ears. At least we were, until a very familiar person interuppted us.

"Gees you two! You're blocking the entrance!" We both turned to Haymitch and I shot a face of disgust at him. "Nice to see you too sweetheart," he replied. There were more guests now that there were in the ceremony, so the hall was filled with happy chatter as we ate our meal. Peeta, to my divine standard, had got lamb stew.

"Did I mention how utterly stunning you look today?" he asked me.

"Nope. However, I could say the same as you would say to me, to you," I merrily explained. He shook his head.

"No. You're the most beautiful person in this room," he argued.

"And your the most handsome person in this room," I giggled. He sighed, before questioning me something completely different.

"Did you eat those cheese buns?" I turned towards him, frowning.

"Yes," I simply stated. "Why?"

"Because you seem to have gotten through most of your lamb stew in one minute." We both laughed. We chatted to the people around us, I had a long conversation with my Mother.

"My girl, got married today!" It was a happy conversation, no grudges or sadness, although Prim was always in my mind. I would have sat her right next to me, and we would have chattered about nonsense things that nobody would understand except us. After that conversation, Peeta tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a microphone.

"You know what to do." I did. I was going to announce my pregnancy to Panem. Now, I regretted agreeing to this, but it had to be done. It had to. I stood up, my hand shaking wildly and almost imediately everyone turned to face me, no matter how far into conversations they were having. I eyed the one camera the Capitol had sent im the corner. We told Plutarch one camera. He can have a couple of pictures from the ceremony and one camera to film the important stuff from the reception. The man controlling it pressed a button and the red recording light came on.

"Umm..." I started. "Firstly, I'd just like to thank everyone who came here or helped my husband with anything to do with the Wedding." I glanced at Peeta, who was just smiling. I heard a few 'ahhs' from the guests. "However, there is something else." The guests went into hushed whispers as they tried to figure out what I was talking about. Haymitch leaned forward on the other side of Peeta, focusing on me. "I don't really know how to put this, but yesterday, I wasn't the only soon-to-be Mellark." This made everyone either more confused, or eyes of realisation as they firgured it out. I turned to Mother, who was nodding at me. I turned back and closed my eyes. _'Come on Katniss,'_ I though to myself, _'It's just two words.'_ I gulped and took a deep breath in.

"I'm Pregnant."

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**Yh, I know. You guys are gonna hate me till the end of time for this cliffhanger, but I had to do it!**

**Keep reviewing, every little helps! x**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! This is the last Wedding Chapter! I know that that is sad, but at the same time I really want to start publishing the main pregnancy bit! Enjoy x**

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The place went up in cheers and I sat down, but ignored everyone but Peeta. Just at that moment, Peeta saved the day. "Please, if you could wait until the dancing, then we'll answer any questions." I reminded myself to always thank Peeta for that. The connection between the reception and the dancing went very smoothly. After Peeta and I had cut the cake and everyone had finsihed their meal, Peeta led me outside, where people still cheered. We were greeted by little children and I was secretly glad that they didn't know about my pregnancy, yet. Peeta helped me get back on the carriadge. "Where are we going?" I asked suspiciously. Peeta just laughed.

"You'll have to wait and see…" I rolled my eyes. I came and sat next to him. We cuddled into eachother and he placed his hand on my abdomen.

"Thank You," I told him "For everything. I didn't think I'd be as happy as this, but I am. I'm so happy and I really don't deserve you. I'm speechless! Whatever happens, we'll be together forever and will always be with…our children." He looked surprised, but also tearful.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for that?" he mentioned. It was like a question, but at the same time, it wasn't. I shrugged and he continued. "Also, you said children! Is this implying that you'll have another?" I was shocked.

"NO! I just, didn't know what to say." I grinned. We continued our conversation until we neared our destination. The destination, was the Meadow. I gasped. It was a hard memory of the people who had dies, but it had been transformed. I stood up and leant out of the carriadge. I felt the cool breeze swirl around me.

When many people had arrived, music started playing and everyone strarted dancing. At first, everyone left me and Peeta alone, but then people split us up and we danced with different people almost every minute. When more and more people joined in with the dancing, I lost sight of Peeta for a few seconds at a time. I was asked tones of questions. From 'How long have you known?' to 'How far along are you?'. It was quite fun, speaking to lots of different people, well men. Though none were extremely close friends to me.

I managed to dodge the one person I didn't want to speak to for a long time, umtil Peeta and I were back together. I thought he'd be too drunk to even bother speaking to us, but he wasn't. He spotted us and waved sarcastically. "Pregnant are we? Didn't see that coming!" However, he was too far away to tell if he was sober or not over everybody else talking.

"If he's slurring, we're safe. If not, run," I whispered to Peeta. He chuckled. Haymitch didn't speak to us again, though, until he was a metre in front of us.

"And you didn't tell me!" No! He wasn't slurring! With that, I tried to turn and run, but he grabbed my wrist. "Trying to run?" he asked slyly. I blushed and Haymitch, when he saw this, he laughed. Then he had to make the whole sistuation worse. "So, you did it before. I thought the idea was you did it on your Wedding night." With that my whole face when bright red and I wanted to slap him so badly. How dare he say anything like that! Haymitch looked like he was going to start crying with laugter and I could feel Peeta's smile. _'How could he not be embarassed?'_ I thought. "So how far along are you?" Haymitch suddenly questioned. I looked up. Haymitch was frowning.

"Umm…three months along…" I answered warily.

"THREE MONTHS! How did you keep it a secret this long?" I kept silent. I didn't want to go into that. "So, Lover Boy, can I have a word with your wife?" My eyes widened. Peeta's hand left go of mine and he walked away, leaving me in dispair. Why on earth would Haymitch want to talk to me? I raised my eyebrows as a question. "Yh…come this way." He started walking away from the main party and towards the woods. I followed him, with difficultly because of my outift, until he stopped at a fallen tree. I glanced a face of ashament at him.

"WHY would you need to talk to me? Here of all places!" I exclaimed.

"Katniss. I didn't know how to say it at first, but I need to tell you something and I think this is the time," Haymitch explained, differently to any way he had said anything before. I frowned.

"What is it?"

"Katniss, when I...I lost my family and lover...I also lost any hope of a good life with a family. When you and Peeta came along, if was different to any pair I had mentored before. It was clear you'd lost someone aswell. Then I learnt it was your father and I felt...guilty. You didn't need me, but you became like a daughter to me. I saw you and Peeta grow together in the most difficult conditions, and I felt...proud. Now..." he couldn't continue, and he didn't need to. I just needed to ask him one thing. I went straight into him and hugged him tightly. I could tell he wasn't expecting that, but he hugged me back. Never in my whole life did I expect Haymitch to say something like that. Through tears, I replied.

"No. No, Haymitch. I've always needed you." I pulled away eventually, and headed back towards the party. He didn't call me back, just waited behind me. I found Peeta, who didn't question me. I wondered for a second whether or not he new about it and that Haymitch had told him, but I didn't hang on to that thought.

A while later, Peeta and I left everyone and walked into the woods where Peeta said he had a surprise for me, for us. I asked him 'What about everyone else? The cleaning?' but he just said he hired people to do all that for him. I shot a look of being impressed at him. He slowly walked through the woods, and even though it was very dark, I could still make out the course we were going. We were heading for the lake. "What's at the lake?" I asked. He grinned at me and didn't say anything until we got there. I saw immediately what the surprise was. The crumbling house had been rebuilt. I mean, the old parts were still there, but there were bits added.

"So, do you want to stay here tonight?" I didn't register what he said at first, but when I did, I nodded wildly. I leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his waste and we kissed passionately.

We sat on the edge of the lake, leaning into one another with our feet in the water. We watched the moon shining on us and I wished this moment could last forever. "Goodnight Mrs Mellark," Peeta whispered. "Goodnight Peeta," I replied. "Goodnight baby."

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**I just want to say thanks to Random Thought Girl for always reading my chapters and reviewing!**

**Also, the next chapter will be published tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.**

**Bye for now x**


	11. Chapter 11

**I just want to say, I'M SO SORRY. I'm sooooo sorry I didn't update sooner like I should have. I was so busy and didn't have time to publish till now. x**

**To make up for it, I promise to try and do a double bill for the next two days. That means I could do up to four new chapters by the end of Tuesday. Please keep reviewing x ENJOY**

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I walked home in the pouring rain, ignoring the numbness in my fingers. In my arms I held a bag which contained our meal tonight. I'd caught four squirrels today, two of which I sold onto the Hazelle. I'd been living off cheese buns, though, for the past two weeks. It's been two weeks since the happiest day of my life. I reach the house, and peer into the window. Peeta was sitting down, looking like someone was hunting him down to kill him. I gently tapped on the window and he looked up. When he saw me, he literally ran towards the door and forced it open. He looked into my eyes for a second, looking ashamed, but then pulled me inside and held me in a hug. "Katniss Mellark, you had me worried sick!" I sighed. It was just like Peeta to worry so much.

"I was fine. I was just hunting!" I exclaimed.

"It was raining!"

"That's a natural part of the World Peeta. It's not my choice whether it rains or not. It was raining when you threw me that bread that saved my life, and it's raining today," I explained. Peeta looked at me and groaned, as if he was giving up. He rolled his eyes. I smiled sheepishly and he shook his head, pulling me into a kiss. We stayed their for a minute, embracing the moment, until we were disturbed by our very famous mentor.

"Alright Star-crossed lovers?" he said as we walked up to the door, when he saw us though, he sounded disgusted. "Uggh you two, can't you do that somewhere else?!" I turned and spat my reply in his face.

"No. Now shut up and go away." Haymitch ignored my comment and simply pushed us out of the way, before walking slowly down the hallway. He drifted into the kitchen, Peeta and I following him and laughing at his attempts to find a bottle.

"You won't find anything." Haymitch swivelled round to face us.

"And why not, Sweetheart?"

"Well did you really think Peeta would let us keep alcohol in the house, what with my condition?" I mumbled, just loud enough for Haymitch to hear.

"Seems getting you knocked up wasn't the greatest idea." Even so, he stayed for dinner. I cooked up the squirrels for Peeta and Haymitch, Peeta baked bread and Haymitch slouched on the sofa. You could faintly here the TV blaring out today's news. Paylor and close officials had decided to start assembling a Hunger Games Museum. It would be open to all, but each year, all children aged twelve would attend the Museum to find out about the Hunger Games and the war. This would start with the Capitol children, then District One and all the way down to District Thirteen. Twelve years old, I would be counting down the days till my child went. My child, would learn their parents fought in a war and tried to survive in a ruthless games where children would kill one another. "Seems you two made the news," Haymitch suddenly said. Peeta and I ignored him. That was old news. It was just the Capitol, showing my pregnancy off to the whole of Panem, again.

When I had finished with the squirrels, I found Haymitch at our table, slumping, while my husband set everyones places. I brought in the pot of meat and vegetables, before grabbing five cheese buns. I munched on them idly, finding eyes watching me. I got bothered my it so I lifted my hanging head and shouted at Haymitch. "What?!"

"We'll one, why on earth are you eating cheese buns and cheese buns, with an extra cheese bun on top? Two, dear Effie would be horrified at your table manners." Peeta snorted and almost knocked his and Haymitch's meal over.

"Cheese buns are the best thing ever! Anyway, pregnancy?! Remember?! Or are you that stupid? Cravings?" Haymitch didn't bother to reply to my comment, leaving the meal to finish in silence. I began to feel dizzy, so abandoned Peeta and Haymitch to go and slouch on the sofa. My heahache started to ache and my eyelids droop. I kept them closed, having no energy to fight it off and drifted in and out of sleep. I kept waking up because of the headache, but my slumber wasn't disturbed. When I finally got to sleep for good, I dreamt of something I'd been having constant dreams about; almost every night. The day after my Wedding always come back to me. I wasn't exactly sure why, but it did.

_The hot breath on my hair brought me back to reality, and I opened my eyes, sharp and alert. The very first thing I noticed, was that I felt no nausea. It was gone. The second thing, was the warm arms wrapped around me, locking me in this position forever. I moved my head upwards on the pillow, my cheek brushing the fabric like feathers, and peered into the blue eyes. "Good morning Mrs Mellark." I smiled and sighed, bringing my hand up to stroke his cheek._

_"I could get used to that," I replied, in a soft tender voice. He pressed his lips against mine, and I felt the same passion I had felt not even twenty-four hours ago, the kiss at the Wedding ceremony._

_After I got dressed, I wandered outside into the fresh air. I only had shorts on, so I stood knee-high in the water, swirling the water around with my finger tips. I named each flower and plant in turn, aswell as dancing in the Sunlight. It was a fairytale moment, one that would stay with me forever. It obviously became more enjoyable when Peeta came out to join me, and he chased me round the lake, our laughter and my skrieks filling the woods around us. "Perfect," I told Peeta. "Perfect moment."_

I don't know how, but I was aware of arms carrying me up stairs. At first, I thought that Peeta had thought that I should deserve a nicer, more comfortable place to sleep, until I 'heard' the clashing sound. Someone was doing the washing up, and that had to be Peeta. This meant it was _HAYMITCH_. If I was awake, I would have been too stunned for words, but I was fascinated by how strong Haymitch was. My body soon landed on the well-known smell of my own bed and I felt the blanket cover me. Haymitch did one last act of kindness, by whispering a faint 'Goodnight Sweetheart', before trotting downstairs again. By the morning, the tears were still moist on my skin.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello! Welcome to this new chapter! I mentioned yesterday I would try and put the next one up as well. I'm sticking to my word and as long as I can type it up, it will be posted before 00:00.**

**Also, some people may be confused from yesterday. The tears on Katniss's cheeks, they were her tears. She was crying (unknowingly) about how affectionate and kind Haymitch was and she was finally beginning to realise fully what he meant on the Wedding day (their very touching conversation). Hope this clears it up a bit x**

**As always, keep reviewing and enjoy x**

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On the second day of the second week of the fifth month, I started to get really dizzy. I would stay in bed all morning, until Peeta came with hot tea at lunchtime. That was usually when I would go hunting, as at the moment it's the only thing keeping me peaceful, specially the lake. Just sitting there, stroking my lower abdomen as my baby moved. It moves now, not the little kicks that it insisted on doing at three months, proper moving. It's a funny feeling, wish washy. Peeta went completely bonkers the first time he felt it doing that. At least it was doing well, and was alive.

I walked silently towards the newly built gate that although still keeps things out, there are many gates along it for people to go into the woods. Nobody really does though. I tugged on the metal lock of the nearest gate and smiled when it pulled free easily. As carefully as I could, so no one was to hear me, I shut the gate and 'skipped' all the way into the woods. Running wasn't really an option anymore, but I felt the need to go as fast as possible. I was pretty lucky, scoring five squirrels and a rabbit, and head towards the main square at around four. However, as I reached the meadow, I had to stop for a minute. I figured that this was always going to happen, that I wouldn't be able to continue hunting for the whole of my pregnancy, but I didn't think I would have to stop so soon. I was trying to not catch attention earlier, when I had gone into the woods, but now I heard the cheerful laughter of a little girl. I looked up and saw Greasy Sae's little grandaughter. She had her hair tied back in a bun and was running towards me. "Katniss!"

I walked for a bit round the meadow with her, about ten minutes, before I realised I really needed to get to the town square. I gave her a light hug, but she was far too content with prancing about to notice me leaving. I walked towards the gate and unlocked it, dragging my bag of meat behind me. "Is Katniss pregnant?" a voice suddenly asked. I turned towards the little girl, who was now walking up to me, and nodded. I didn't say anything and hoped she would be fine with that answer. To my utter joy, she was.

As I neared the town square, I began to think of how she managed to guess I was pregnant. I knew she'd probably been told, but was it that obvious? I dismissed the thought, satisfied with the answer 'no'. However, people still perked up when I strolled into view. "Katniss!" A young man said, probably around twenty-five, who then gestured towards my abdomen. I looked down, not wanting to look at his face, but I kept up my courage and answered his silent question. "Yeah, just three and a half months to go." The man was taken back, surprised at how far along I was, but moved on immediately.

"Is there any meat I could buy off you?" I looked up and frowned.

"Yes...," I said. "I've got loads." He opened up his hand to reveal a generous sum of money, for which I gave him three squirrels.

"I'm surprised Peeta let you go and hunt, what with you being five months." I realised he was right. Why had he let me out? I assumed he probably didn't notice or realise, but as if fate would have it, I had it in for me tonight. I managed to sell the rabbit to a young woman with two children, again on the way to the square, so I had no need of parading round, exposing myself to the main body of people of District 12. I wandered back to my house, with only one squirrel left. I knew that Peeta had already chosen a meal for tonight, so that left Haymitch. Yes, the being who had probably never lifted a pan since his Hunger Games. I pushed the door open and was overwhelmed by the smell. So much so, I ran to the bathroom and threw up. As I was washing my mouth out, a tapping sound bounced on the door.

"WHO'S IN THERE?!" a terrored voice sounded and I groaned with the knowledge that Haymitch was still relatively drunk. He'd got better recently, as in I found him unconcious less than half the amount of times I used to. I flung the door open, thinking of how he didn't even try to open it. It wasn't even locked! He just stared at me for a moment, before acknowledging it was me. "Geez Sweetheart. Give me some more warning next time. You gave me a fright." I pulled an odd face.

"I gave you a fright?" I said, not entirely sure when Haymitch started using those sayings before.

"Yes, I have been taking lessons from dear Effie. She heard about your...condition and exclaimed she was so sorry she couldn't make it to the 'big big day'."

"She called?" I hadn't heard from Effie since the end of the war, so it was a surprise to hear from her now.

"Yep. Turns out Plutarch is planning something. Do you know what she means?" I merely shook my head in reply. I cooked him the squirrel, which I left him to eat after he graciously accepted my cooking. I strided up to my front door and whisked it open.

"Hello? Peeta?" At that moment, he stuck his head round a corner and motioned for me to come to him. I took off my hunting jacket and walked a bit to fast into the kitchen. The smell was so much better than the one in Haymitch's house.

"Katniss, I need to talk to you about your hunting activites." Already by the tone of his voice I knew this meant bad news. "You're nearly six months pregnant! Surely you're starting to think that maybe...it's time to stop?" I sighed, letting his words crumble my heart.

"But it's the only thing I'm good at! People will start to think I'm lazy!" Peeta laughed, bewildered.

"Katniss, you're pregnant! Nobody is going to think you're lazy!" There was silence for a moment, before Peeta caught on. "It's not just that, is it?" I bit my lip and nodded slowly, hanging my head in shame.

"It's the only thing that keeps me calm and...and...and," I managed. I couldn't continue. Peeta smiled, that knowing sort of smile.

"I know sweetheart, but remember that this is for the benefit of our baby, and for you. Anyway, just because you can't hunt, doesn't mean you can't go into the woods. At least not for another month it won't." My ears perked up on this and considered it. _Would it really be that bad?_ I could spend my day sitting my the lake, daydreaming. Alone from the rest of the World, so I could keep calm. I looked up into Peeta's desperate eyes and whispered my answer.

"Okay."


	13. Chapter 13

**HELLO! Sorry I didn't update yesterday evening! Enjoy this chapter! I may or may not post the next chapter depending on whether I can type it up...**

**Please keep reviewing x**

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Getting into a routine was hard, especially since everyone now knew. I couldn't even walk down the street without a few pointed fingers, smiles and kind remarks. I still insisted on wearing Peeta's shirts, so the ever-growing bump could just go away unseen. I'd seen a couple of cameras recently and a couple of shots of both Peeta and I had appeared on the TV, bu there were no actual signs of my pregnancy yet. They only had my announcement to prove it and I could tell they were trying to desperately get hold of some new material.

Plutarch even called one night, begging Peeta and I to give them some new information, but we wouldn't budge. On the third time he called I shouted down the phone that we would call him back when we had decided. We discussed for a while, Peeta and I, agreeing on what we should do. I have to admit though, he probably just gave into everything I wanted because he knew how utterly stubborn I would be.

So in the last week of the fifth month, I woke up one day with a start. It was still dark outside, a beauty I had not endured since the day after my Wedding. The nausea was rare and even when it did come, it was usually after a meal. The other day I had called my Mother just after I had ringed my mouth out with a minty flavoured liquid. She told me I was lucky to be almost free of the sickness. A few months beforehand, another nurse had to look after a pregnant woman who kept on being sick every couple of hours, even way past the six month mark.

The crystal stars shone brightly and I imagined each one to be a little piece of hope. A little piece of hope that ensures that the baby will be fine, safe forever. Seeing that I was never going to get back to sleep, I decided to count the stars. It was an impossible task, as I continuously had to restart my murmering of numbers as more starts seemed to appear. I must have been there for at least ten minutes, before the warm arms wrapped around my body and his chin rested on my shoulder. "You know, trying to count starts isn't going to get you anywhere." He said as a matter-of-fact.

"Yes it will," I protested, "It will get me to safety, in the knowledge that our child is safe." He stared at me with his eyebrows high, demanding an explanation. "Each star is a piece of hope. As long as there are more stars than there are things that could go wrong, it's strong enough to get you to safety. Hope-"

"Is the only thing, stronger than fear." Peeta finished off the very old saying. I was expecting him to agree with me on everything I'd just said, but his answer surprise me. "Who would have thought Katniss Everdeen would ever say something like that."

"It's Mellark actually," I corrected. "Katniss Mellark." Peeta beamed. I looked at the bed, then back of the stars. "I could stay here, just to see the sunrise, couldn't I? Peeta's face turned firm and it shook slightly from side to side. "Why not?" I complained. Groaning loudly. He sighed, but smiled.

"You know what today is," he pointed out. My eyebrows furrowed, what was it that was happening? He saw my confusing instantly. "You're telling Plutarch about our decision!" I moaned much louder than before, but that turned into a slight gasp as Peeta whisked me up into his arms. He gave me that 'time-to-do-as-you're-told' look I hadn't seen since Peeta instructed me I couldn't go hunting anymore. I squirmed about in his arms like a child, trying to break free of his grip, but his was too strong. He set me down on the bed and pulled the covers on me. "Come on Katniss! Last time, when you tried to stay up late, you woke up and screamed at me that you overslept!" I grin at him sheepishly, before pulling the covers and closing my eyes. _I'll let him off, this once._

When I got up for real this time, it was mid-morning. The exact time my routine started. I went downstairs and grabbed a slice of bread on the counter. Peeta, who was getting ready to go to work, rolled his eyes as I skipped into the lounge. I sensed I was way to happy today, too merry. I flopped down on the sofa and turned the TV on, where the news was playing out. This was the first part of my routine, to watch the news, counting down the days till something new turned up. After that extract of fifteen or so minutes, I wandered down to the woods, carefully dodging the people in the streets. Everyday, however, I seemed to get slower and today was no different. When I did eventually reach the woods, I felt a weight being rolled off my shoulder. It moved, as it always did when I was in the woods, and I held my hand at the bottom of my bump, wishing she would calm down. She never did though.

The lake was as peaceful as ever and I immediately sat down, releasing the strain on my ankles and feet. It kept moving until I murmered the song. The song, Rue's Lullaby. I would sometimes, on the days Peeta didn't work, stay with him until lunchtime and then go into the woods in the afternoon and on the days he did work, he would give me a bag of food to eat out there. Today, he didn't, which had left him nothing to do in the early morning, just hovering. I smiled for the billionth time today, as I held my head back. I tried to come up with reasons why I was so happy, but I could only think of one. I was calling Plutarch today, so I wanted to savour the happiness. That same thought kept coming back into my mind.

I knew I had to go back for lunch and when the time came, my body wanted to stay put. It wasn't meant to be, however, so I lifted myself up, using all my strength, and started swaying back to the house. I didn't take that long, in fact I went fast enough that I met Peeta along the way. Well, at the end of our road. I saw him first, noticing him from fifty metres away. I called out to him, short of breath. He turned and waited for me as I stumbled towards him. I leant on him, hands on his shoulders as I panted. I only did that for a moment, before I pulled myself together. As I realised, that it I showed Peeta I was getting unbelievably tired, he would ban me from going into the woods altogether! I trailed behind him all the way to our front door, selfishly wishing he could carry me, not matter how many other bags he was carrying.

I trembled. Peeta held up the phone and pressed in the number. Every button made a different sound, like a tune. When he'd finished, he held his breath and pressed the final button. As the phone started to ring, he passed it to me. I glared at him. _At least he wasn't the one who had to do the actual talking!_ I thought to myself. The other end picked up on the third ring. "Hello?" Plutarch's voice blared out.

"Plutarch?"

"KATNISS!" he yelped, clearly surprised, releaved and excited. "You called!" I felt like snarling something sarcastic at him, but I held that in.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about my…pregnancy?"

"YES! So, umm, what would you like to do?" I took a deep breath, then let it out. This was it. This moment would change my life. I had no worries that they would be able to schedule around us. They would do anything for us.

"Well…Peeta and I have decided… We'll let you do two photos of us, one when I'm six months, and one when I'm nine months." Plutarch gasped, urging me on to continue. "Then when our baby is born, we'll…er…come to the Capitol to show them to Panem. THEN, you'll leave us alone till that fifteenth anniversary thingy your planning." That thingy was years away, which left us to be alone for a while.

"THANK YOU!" Plutarch screamed down the phone. So loud, I swear I was almost deaf by now. He started chatting down the phone, so I handed it to Peeta. _He'd understand_, I thought.

"Yes OK, goodbye Plutarch! Speak to you soon!"

"PEETA!" Plutarch started saying, but my dear husband had already pressed the hang up button. He glanced at me as if we were both thinking the same thing. _What had we just let ourselves in for?_


	14. Chapter 14

**So here I am, about FIVE WEEKS LATE.**

**Yh, I'm sorry. I don't really have an excuse. But I'm going to tell you what happened anyway. So, you know how I was going to publish this chapter on the same day as the last one, well, I actually did finish writing this one. Then, for some reason, I couldn't upload the file onto the website. :( So I was stuck for like, two weeks, thinking 'How on earth will I get this thing on?!'**

**Then I discovered something MAGICAL. I found...the copy button.**

**However, life got REALLY busy. The only chance I could get onto fanfiction was on my sister's ipod.**

**So five weeks on, here it is. Chapter 14 of my story.**

**I want to add:**

**The Family Games - 1. The Wedding Games**

** 2. The Show Games**

** (possibly) 3. ?**

**Finally, if your a twilight fan, check out my new Twilight story. It's called 'The Blood of a Volturi Guard' and will be up sometime today or tomorrow.**

**Thanks and enjoy! x**

**P.S I know it said I would be releasing the Show Games on October 27, but by now it is blindingly obvious I haven't stuck to that. So, it will become a (possibly early) Christmas Pressie! x**

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Peeta POV

The Sun poured into the room, lighting up Katniss with a giant beam of Sunlight. Her body was curled up against mine, and I did have my arm over her, my hand on her abdomen. In less that four months, I was going to be a father. A father to either a little boy or a little girl. I had no idea what it was to be, as Katniss had pestered that it should be a surprise ever since her twenty week scan, but I was secretly hoping for a girl. A little girl who looks just like my Katniss.

Today, like any usual day, I had woken up in the early hours of the morning. I leaned over Katniss and pulled any loose strands of hair from her face. She twitched, as if seeing a disoriented image, and I immediately started whispering words and holding her close. She did that a lot recently, when she moved into her sixth month. It was the second week of that month, and the Summer breeze started to hover in the air. I often wondered what was making her groan, what was her image? However, she never told me.

I lay there, comforting Katniss, until her own eyes shot open. It was more of a disturbed sort of gasp than a tired groan, which made me suspicious. "Are you alright Sweetheart?" She looked at me with worried eyes, but they quickly faded away to reveal happy and content eyes, as if she was pleased to see me alive...

"I'm fine." I hated when she said that. It gave me no idea what was really wrong, other than the fact that I knew she was lying. I decided not to push it for now, however, as there were much more pressing matters.

"So...are you excited for the day ahead?"

"No," was her short one word answer. I didn't blame her that much, but it would be adorable to finally see her properly with her bump. She'd been borrowing my shirts up until now, which did conceal the bump reasonably, but it meant I was rapidly missing shirts. Today, we were to receive a package containing the dreaded 'maternity clothes'. Katniss hated having to go round, showing off her bump to the world, but today she had no choice. It wouldn't be too much longer before the Capitol breathed the scent of this new information and took a few pictures. Two of which, they are allowed to show on the TV. One of Katniss, one of me. I was looking forward to Haymitch's reaction and I think Katniss secretly is too, as much as it pains her to admit it.

I sat up, dragging Katniss along with me. She flopped down and rested her head in my lap. I smiled. "Tired?" She nodded in reply like a little child. In some ways, she has the right to be. She's been an adult since eleven. I knew I had to go down and make her breakfast, well tea, but I didn't want to disturb her. She played it very well by deliberately closing her eyes, as if an order to me to not leave. I sighed. Katniss was being as stubborn as she could be. "Look, much I want to stay here, I have to go down." She groaned so I took to more direct solutions. I gently lifted her up and placed her back the way she should be, listening to the disgruntled groans the whole time. I jumped out of the bed, leaving her no choice but to stay put or follow me. She curled back up into a ball and pulled the covers over her, concealing her face. I tried not to laugh, but it was quite hard.

It was later on, when the package arrived and Katniss (whom finally gotten up) perked up. She'd been relaxing on the sofa, sitting in a unusual position on her legs, drinking a cup of water. I'd brought up her tea not fifteen minutes after I'd left her in the early hours of the morning, but she didn't get up until much later. Her footsteps, which were slowly getting heavier, were loud enough for me to hear when she trotted down the stairs. She appeared in the kitchen while I was making bread, hair all tangled and messy. That's when she took the decision to sulk while holding a cold glass of water.

The tap on the door signified the moment we'd all been waiting for. I opened it, in case there was a photographer outside waiting for Katniss to appear, much to her delight. It wasn't; just a ordinary looking man carrying a huge parcel. He passed it to me with a little knowingly smile before walking off. I shook my head slowly as I closed the door, for a reason I never knew. I walked into the room Katniss was in and her expression went from blank to 'kill-me-now'. I put the heavy package on her lap, from which she tore the paper very slowly. Her expression became a frown.

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**Sorry to leave it there, but I couldn't resist! Next chapter up soon x**


	15. Chapter 15

**I'll admit. This is a REALLY short chapter, but I really ran out of ideas for this chapter. I do have an idea for the next chapter though!**

**Also, please check out a new chapter to the preview of The Show Games! It is unrelated to the first one (meaning it is not an immediate follow on) but please still read it!**

**Till the next time! x**

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I looked into the package. To my surprise, it was a surprise. I put my hand in the box and ruffled the fabric between my fingers. It was beige. It wasn't the bright colour I'd been expecting. No, quite the opposite. _The Capitol will do anything to make sure I keep my promise._ I looked across at Peeta, who although smiling, looked slightly confused. I smiled, before huring up the stairs as fast as I could. Although I really didn't want to, I changed immediately, I soaked up the last time I would wear Peeta's smell. I pulled the top over me, it was slightly loose in some places, so it reached mid-thigh. Yet, it was tight in others. In a weird way, it was perfect.

I twisted in the mirror, admiring the top with a grin. I was happy, for a split second, but then I realised that this wasn't just for my personal happiness. This was pernament. It wouldn't be long before I would be appearing on TV screens, everywhere.

I heard the door slam, and I was confused by this. I rushed down the steps, calling Peeta's name. I didn't get a reply so I flung the door open and screamed Peeta's name. The final reply I received was a loud laughter. It wasn't Peeta's though. It was Haymitch's. "Finally showing off the little munchkin?" I frowned at the name. _Munchkin?_ What sort of a name was that? Then again, it was Haymitch. What did I expect?

He came into view then, along side Peeta. He was still in fits of laughter. "Ah Sweetheart, don't get all hormonal on me." I rolled my eyes at Haymitch's comment. I stormed off in the direction of the centre of town, pushing them both out of my way as I did. "Wrong way Sweetheart! I thought the idea was people wouldn't see ya!" I didn't care. I stomped all the way to the town centre, hoping by some random chance there was something that I could do there.

It was only when I reached the town square and glanced around me that I realised I did make a mistake. Everyone was looking at me, and it bugged. To keep my mind off how furious I was with myself, I decided to give them a little show. Why not? What else was I supposed to do? I placed my hand on my so-evidently-there bump, caressing it. I smiled a bit. _Maybe a baby wasn't the worst descision ever. Maybe Peeta did have a point._

I should have seen it coming. The bright light of a flash. The flash of a camera told me what I already knew. The Capitol were here, and now they had the picture. Just Peeta now, but I was sure that while I'd been here, they'd got him too. I expected the picture to come up pretty soon, maybe even tonight.

I turned to the photographer, making eye contact with the scared brown eyes. The young girl looked like she was going to make a run for it any second. So, I did the best I could think of. I grinned at her, and she grinned back. Before anything else could happen, I rushed off back to the house. He was there, waiting for me, at the door porch. "Back already?" Peeta asks.

"I was caught." He didn't need any more of an explanation. He nodded in reply, giving me the information that he did get photographed. I ran into him arms, for no particular reason, but we stood there, wrapped in eachothers arms. I had my mind made up. The baby was the best descision I had made. _Ever._


	16. Chapter 16

**Next chapter, and I apologise in advance for the cliffhanger. I quite like this one, and it gives some back story to the past month.**

**As always, enjoy x**

The seventh month rolled by. To Peeta's amusement, I could no longer go to the woods. I mean, I could get there quite easily, but i couldn't hunt, climb trees or walk properly. I could no longer look at my feet.

_We saw the photos, on the TV, the day they took them. I knew they would turn up quickly. We sat ourselves down by the phone, waiting for the call that would almost certainly come. Caesar Flickerman strolled onto the screen "For the first time, we get a look at the pregnant Katniss Mellark!" Peeta's picture appeared on the screen. He wasn't smiling, but he was looking directly at the camera. I envied his unmistakable good photo. He had no expression, giving them no proof that he was happy nor sad._

_"I thought you might like that one." I realised I was grinning. The Capitol weren't getting any more information other than that I was still pregnant; at least not from Peeta._

_"Peeta seems to be doing fine, but what of his loving wife?" Caesar Flickerman directed. It was a cue for my photo to flash onto the screen. It was weird, seeing myself pregnant. Even more so, in a position a loving mother would be in. Not Katniss Mellark, the girl on fire. I was doing exactly what I had wanted to do at the time. I was caressing the baby, something that signified happiness and joy. I'd spoiled any hope that Peeta had done._

_The phone started ringing. I waited through three rings. "Shall I?" Peeta asked. I shook my head. This was my job. I picked it up._

_"AAAAAAAHH! You look so cute!" Johanna's voice screamed. It sounded slightly fuzzy from being down the phone line, but it still made me have to hold the phone away from my ear so she didn't deafen me. "I can't believe you never sent me ANYTHING. You do know I've booked a ticket to District 12 in two months! Have you heard from Annie? Or you even mother?" She spoke very fast, so fast she didn't give me any time to say anything. Not until she became very silent, waiting for my response._

_"Johanna, um...hang on! What do you mean YOU'VE GOT TICKETS TO DISTRICT 12?!" I screamed. Peeta cocked his eyebrow at me, but he understood what I meant. Why would Johanna be coming to District 12 such short notice? That's when it hit me. Peeta was questioning when, not why. Johanna was coming here, for my-_

_"Your birth! You don't think I would miss the chance to be one of the very first people to see the most significant baby in the entirety of history!" I groaned louder than I ever had before._

"Katniss?" Peeta's voice whispered. My eyes flickered open. "Katniss were you asleep?" I yawned and stirred to be fully awake. I nodded vigorously.

"Yes. And you woke me up." I told him, trying to sound as cross as I could.

"Well, I couldn't let you stay sleeping on the floor. I honestly don't know how you managed to sleep there in the first place." I got up onto my arms and looked around me. I was in the middle of the room, as my loving husband said, on the floor. My living room looked perfectly clean, so there was no reason why I couldn't have put myself on the sofa. Yet there I was, curled up into a small ball. "Why don't you go to our room? I've heard it's much more comfortable there." I grinned at his sarcastic comment. He placed his hand on my cheek and I held it there, not wanting him to leave me.

"Alright I'm going," I replied eventually, "I'm going." I stumbled up the stairs, much like Haymitch does. Or did. Haymitch seemed to be going through his supply of liquor much slower every time a new train carriage arrived. No one really knew why, but I knew Peeta had some theories. All weren't proven to be right however, but he still kept them. I fell onto the bed, caressing my bump with small whispers. It was something I had never thought I would do, but it seemed like I should. Every since...the baby moved for the first time, I felt the need to tell stories, to make sure that he or she got to sleep when I did. I dreamed of this time, the time it first moved. Peeta was away. Peeta was at the bakery. I was scared.

_I stared into the embers of the naked orange flames that had slowly heated the small room. I was sitting on the sofa, alone, reading one of the many pregnancy books that the Capitol had sent. The page I was on was about the first time the baby would move. 'around five months'. I was five months and a week in. It could move at any second._

_Two hours later, I was still sitting in a funny position on the sofa, but I'd abandoned the book over forty minutes before. I lay on my hand, gently pressing into my cheek with my thumb. I was humming a little tune, one that I'd made up on the spot. That's when it happened. There was a little fluttering and with moments I was kneeling over, grasping my bump. I panicked and screamed with such fright. "PEETA!" I breathed heavily._

_It was over two hours before Peeta came home. My then my voice was broken and my eyes were wide. The fluttering hadn't stopped, but I couldn't get over it, even though I had read more than enough books on this subject._

_"Katniss?!" he rushed over to me, clearly horrified by my meltdown. "Katniss? What happened?" He took a seat next to me, wrapping his arms around my cold body._

_"I, I, I..." I chattered. He closed his eyes. He was still the same old person, patient and kind, but he wanted an answer. "It moved..." There was a silence. Neither of us spoke for over five minutes._

_"It moved?" he asked._

_"It moved." I said, still frightened with shock. He rocked me back and forth, but it was clear none of that was working. He tore away from my eyes for the first time, so my straight-ahead sight was not bright blue, but blond. He let go and i immediately missed his warmth. He left the room and hurried up the stairs. Although I couldn't think straight, I could manage thoughts. Why was going there? He came back not five minutes after he left. In his right hand, he carried a short piece of rope. It was mine. "The rope...it's mine." I whispered._

_"Yes, it is. I thought you might want it. It may help, you know, with the...movement." I could tell he was going to say pain, as you usually would when you say a sentence like that, but pain was not a word that could describe what I felt. It wasn't pain at all. It was love. It was a portrayal of Peeta and I's love._

_It also told me something that should have cured my fears. My baby was healthy and well. It was like it was supposed to be. Five months in, the baby should move, and it did. I should be happy, but the baby lived. I was happy, but I was also scared._

_He passed me it, the rope. It took a minute for the memory to come back in, but it came and tied a knot. A rather good one too. It was like how it used to be. It helped, only a little, but it helped all the same._

I woke up with a start and squinted at the bright light from outside. It left a ray of sunlight in the room, so I couldn't see anything other than this one cast if light. aI rubbed my eyes. It must have been late morning, which meant Peeta would have already been gone. He must have left a note downstairs or something, because he never would have 'just left'. I was about to swing my legs over the side when there was a cough from the darkest corner of the room. My heart skipped a beat. "Who's there?!" I shouted. I reached towards the nearest thing I could find. I found I had a flower in my hand. The same person who'd coughed, suddenly burst into fits of laughter. That's what gave him away.

"Haymitch? Exactly what are you doing in my house, let alone my room?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey everyone and Merry Christmas! This is the last chapter before the birth...however, as promised, the first chapter of the show games will be up tomorrow! It won't give anything away, I promise! Eg. Instead of the baby's name, I put things like 'our daughter'. Yet I will go back and change some of these when the name is revealed on this story. Yet you may choose only to start reading the show games when this is finished!**

**I will continue to update this story as often as I can, but I have decided that show games will be updated every Friday (except this Friday 28th 2012).**

**until then, goodbye and as always, ENJOY!**

* * *

Haymitch just continued laughing. So much so, he started rolling on the floor. "Well Lover Boy said you needed looking after. He mentioned 'don't let Katniss go out hunting. I swear Haymitch, if something happens to her'."

"So he got you?" I made a mental note to kill Peeta once Haymitch was gone and he returned home. _Make a stash of cheese buns in the kitchen, then throw them all at him when he walks in._ It was perfect.

The eighth month went past faster than the seventh. Nothing much happened. It turned out Peeta hadn't left any cheese buns, as if he'd known I'd use them as a weapon against him. However, when I explained what I was planning to do, he chuckled in a such a way it really made me question my theory.

The first two weeks of the ninth month were also pretty dull. I mean, the photographer appeared again. She was probably waiting for days, waiting for the one day that I would go out for the first time in weeks. The photo, as before, appeared on TV the day it was taken. This time, however, I did not receive a phone call.

Johanna appeared, as promised, two months after her call. She was not alone, however. It was a pretty ordinary day. It was a Summer's day, bright and dry. Yet, I didn't know what Season it was after being trapped inside for so long. Peeta had gone out for food, after he decided to stop working full-time in the bakery during the last stages of my pregnancy. Then he wouldn't work at all for a month or so after the baby is born, but that didn't mean I wouldn't be putting him through hard work. I decided that so we're equal, he has to do hard work for a long period of time, which will match the pain and immense work I will have to go through labour.

I had been in Peeta and I's room, trying to work out what Peeta had done to the room opposite ours. Even if the baby would be staying in our room for a while, that didn't seem to stop Peeta preparing the baby's room. He'd started it in the middle of the eighth month, even though he had no idea what the gender of our child was. After all the appointments I'd had, I always refused to know. Peeta went along, but I know he was desperate to know. I was convinced that if I didn't know, I would hold on longer during labour, because I would want to know after so long. I wasn't allowed to see the room, and to make sure I didn't peek, Peeta put a temporary lock on in and it stayed locked 24/7.

The doorbell rang, and I groaned loudly. I would have to get up from my comfortable position (something I very rarely found these days) and _walk_ down the stairs. I spent most of my day either downstairs or upstairs; I never mixed them. I just hoped whoever was at the door had a sense of patience, because it was going to take a while to get down. Even though I knew they wouldn't be able hear me, I shouted 'I'm Coming!' because it was my natural reaction.

The bell kept ringing. Whoever was at the door was getting more impatient with every second. "I'M COMING!" I screeched when I was halfway down the stairs. Even though I didn't think they'd be able to hear me, the annoying bell sound stopped. When I finally reached the door, I only opened it a tiny bit, poking my head round the corner in case it was someone I didn't know. Someone who just wanted a picture, or even just see me. A smile crept on my face when I saw who it really was. It was Johanna, but also my mother, Annie, her son and Haymitch. I should have expected it, but I hadn't, which annoyed me greatly.

"Look out, seems Sweetheart is in a bad mood," Haymitch explained, as if matter-of-fact. It gave me this sudden urge to hit him with something _really_ hard.

"Hello," I said, unsure of what to say other than to make sure it totally ignored Haymitch's comment. I finally swung the door wide open, to let them all hurry in, but they stood dead still. They even gasped, well all the women did. I became very confused. I looked behind me, to check there was nothing that had scared them. The house was empty though so a huge frown was painted on my face.

"Your missing the totally obvious thing here Sweetheart." I then realised that was probably one of the most un-haymitchy things Haymitch has ever said. He had a point though, I had missed the obvious. The obvious was that I was pregnant, and they were all in shock over my bump. It was at that point the baby decided to start kicking. It wasn't very hard, but it was kicking all the same.

"Sorry to rudely interrupt your staring, but I really need to sit down!" I complained. My mother looked up and stared into my eyes. It was the first eye contact we'd had in a few months, but her expression looked like she felt she hadn't seem me in years. When we finally broke the connection, I could only motion for them to come in. They followed my silent orders and I slumped happily in chair. Well, everyone except Haymitch. Haymitch staggered to the kitchen, for the alcohol that even he knew wouldn't be there.

Nobody could find the words, except Annie. "Well...," she started, "Wow." So maybe she didn't have the words. It my mother, after about five minutes, who came up to me. She held up her hand, but not in a position to tell me to take it. I understood what she meant, though, and the only thing I could do was to lift my shirt. My mother put the palm of her hand right where the baby was kicking. I wondered how she did that. Peeta had done the very same thing only a few days ago. I was reminded of the baby books and wondered if they were just books full of cold-hard facts. Was the baby kick's really visible now?

Then, my loving husband saved the day. He walked straight in through the door and immediately shouted "Katniss?!" I screamed back 'Here', probably about a thousand times, just to make sure I caught his attention. His face appeared and his eyes immediately lit up when he noticed our guests. "Hello." He smiled as he walked in. Then he noticed what was happening. He smiled and joined in with the cute scene. The next half and hour was basically all about my baby. Johanna even asked Peeta and I if we'd come up with any names. The truth is, we had discussed names, but we could never think of any that was deemed suitable. We decided to name them when they're born. We relayed this information to our guests, but Johanna mocked that we were 'terrible parents'.

Later on, we assigned them all rooms. Mother took the one she'd been in since end of the first hunger games. However, what really annoyed me was that they all got to see the baby's room. Peseta had started work on it about a month before, but locked it so I couldn't see what he was doing or even sneak a peek when he wasn't around. They all paraded in and I decided not to eavesdrop because that would just make me want to see it even more, but I did make a huge fuss afterwards.

"How come they are allowed to see it but I, the mother, am not allowed?" Peeta seemed to have prepared an answer to this.

"Because I want it to be a surprise! Anyway, it's not finished and I want you to have the full impact!" To my utter surprise, I let it slide. This was very strange for me considering how stubborn I am.

Time passes very quickly with so many people. I am never left alone. I also start to get these cramp type things, which Mother calls Branson Hicks. She describes them as mini or starter contractions. I ask her how I will know when they are the really, if I keep getting these. She only leaves me with the words "You'll know. You'll just know." This left me with the conclusion that the real contractions will be so much more painful

It does happen, the day before my due date. They're all there, well everyone but Haymitch. Peeta's cooking, as usual. Annie, Johanna and I are playing a game of cards. Mother is upstairs in her room entertaining Finn. It was Annie's turn. Her and Johanna were arguing, but laughing, over Johanna cheating on her previous go. I wasn't paying much attention. It was then that it happened.

The contraction was strong, painful but bearable. Yet I still let out a half-groan, half-scream. Johanna and Annie could only watch as I fell to the foor. Annie, who had been through this before, took charge immediately. "Peeta!" She screamed. I heard the clatter of pans and the light footsteps of someone coming downstairs. My mother rushed in while Annie was telling me to breath. My mother had me sit upright. The contraction began to fade as Peeta came in. His eyes were full of worry and shock. As my contraction finished, I used my mother to help me stand up, but fell into Peeta's arms.

"It's coming," I loudly whispered, "Peeta, the baby is coming..."


	18. Chapter 18

**So...THE BIRTH. I can't believe we're finally here! I'm so near the end now. I hate to break it to everyone, but I've calculated I've only got six or seven chapters (after this one) left!**

**But as always, enjoy x**

_I think the hardest thing about life is trying to find yourself. I personally had no idea what my purpose in life was. I had a Dad who was gone, a mother who was mad and a sister who constantly faced nightmares. I didn't think I had any purpose for life. I didn't know who I was. That all came tumbling at me when I was eleven. Then I met him for the first time. I met my saviour. I met the person who would always be there for me. I met Peeta._

I was hoping for a home birth, it was something I'd wanted from the beginning. Yet for some reason, my mother started packing things like food and clothes. I held onto Peeta the whole time. When another contraction came, I gripped Peeta incredibly hard. I groaned like an idiot, again. My mother stopped and came over to me. "I was waiting for that. Right, Peeta! We need to get Katniss to the hospital!"

"WHAT?!" I squealed. I really didn't want to have to go to the hospital!

"Katniss I'm sorry, but you have to go. I know you wanted a home birth, I really do. However there's only been five minutes since your last contraction. Usually there is a longer interval. I was waiting to see when the next contraction was before I did anything drastic. I don't know, there might be something wrong!" she explained. My already petrified eyes became blurry. Everything I knew would happen, was happening. _I was a bad mother. I was going to fail my baby._ Yet, I couldn't give up hope yet. That's what everything this baby has been about, hope.

Out of nowhere, Johanna rushed into the room, with Haymitch not far behind. I figured she must have gone to get him while my mother was fussing over me. When he saw me, curled up against Peeta, even his eyes filled with worry. Peeta kept telling me to breath while Mother finished off collecting everything. Everyone else watched, not saying a word. When the next one came, I gripped Peeta's arm and squeezed. I knew I was hurting him, but he didn't show it. From behind me, someone else stretched out. I only found out when my fingers locked around it, that it was Haymitch's arm. However I didn't have the time to think about his gesture right now. "Squeeze Sweetheart," he whispered and for the first time in a long while, the only thing I did was follow his order.

_Yet my troubles weren't over. I was forced to go into a game. A game where lives were lost. Young lives were lost. I volunteered for my sister, but I was stuck against him. Him, being the person who saved my life. I rebelled him, I welcomed him, I treated him badly, I pretended to love him and then I lost him. When all the while, there was just one thing I truly did. I loved him. When I found him, I still had lost him. The Capitol changed him, and he suffered greatly. He paid a price for something he had not done. I was lost._

When my mother was ready everyone, who could, helped me up. We didn't own a car, but we had borrowed one for a couple of weeks. We did this, solely for the purpose of getting me anywhere I needed to go. Now, for the first time, it was in use. It was a decently big car, so everyone could get in. For the entire journey, I was shaking with fear. Mother was driving, how she knew how to was beyond my knowledge, but was telling me things. They all went in one ear and out the other, something she knew all to well would happen, but I think she told me this to keep me distracted.

When we got there, we stopped at the Reception. Mother starting talking very quickly at the lady by the front desk. There were only a few other people there; three women and one child. All the women looked at me with knowing and happy eyes. The child looked at me confused. She was probably confused on who I was and what was happening. Yet, there was some recognition.

It wasn't long before we were up in a room. Annie, Johanna and Haymitch all sat on the row of chairs while Peeta and I rushed in. I was given a gown by my mother. I'd seen it before; it had come in the package from the Capitol. It was a bit like a large top more than anything. I was sent to another room with Peeta to get changed while my mother set up any equipment needed. He helped me undress, but I was little help to him. He didn't complain however. "Do you think she'll be alright?" I ask softly.

"Yes," he swiftly answered. Then he turned his head to face me and cocked his eyebrow. "She?" I smiled a little.

"Well I didn't want to call the baby 'it', and you've always wanted a girl. So I just said, she," I explained. This time it was his turn to smile.

_We won. The rebels won the war. I returned home, only not to be happy. I had lost everything in my world. Then he came. He returned home. We wrote the book, we planted the primroses and we grew back together. We'd found eachother._


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey there people! So, here's the next chapter. Oh, I just want to say, I'm not an expert on giving birth so please don't kill me if I've got anything wrong!**

**I hope you like this chapter, there's even a little twist at the end...**

**as always, ENJOY**

* * *

_I figured it was fate that brought me to Peeta, but I can never be sure. We'd only spent a few months with each other after the war when I suggested it. We knew right from the start that we would want to spend the rest of our lives together. I also knew this was one of the things he'd wanted for his whole life. This was his dream, and now it was mine._

The next few hours seem to go by slowly. I spend the entire time either sleeping, lying or pacing around the room. When we came back into the room, my mother did a full scan and ultrasound and was left with the conclusion that I just has uneven contractions. This was a great relief for everyone, not just Peeta and myself. I spent some of the first hour looking around the room. It wasn't just white, much to my surprise. The walls were a deep pink colour, a colour you would never see in the old District 12. The bed spread was white, which made me confused as I would have thought they would want a dark colour so they didn't have to throw away the sheets every time someone gave birth because wasn't there usually some blood. Blood...when I thought about that word I began to feel slightly uneasy. Peeta stayed with me the entire time, but my mother came and went.

Soon everyone came in one at a time. There were only allowed to be two people in the room at a time, but this did not include the nurses and Peeta refused to leave my side. Annie came in first. She started talking to me about what life was like after the birth. She tried to make it sound very generalised, but it was quite obvious she was relaying back to her own experiences. "The baby will probably wake up during the night, especially around the two or three hours," was just one of her many explanations. No matter how much Annie was doing this, I enjoyed having conversations with her, and this was no exception.

Every time a contraction came while Annie was there, I would squeeze Peeta's hand tight while she looked sympathetic. I kept telling myself that I should be grateful though. Annie had done this before and she had done it...without Finnick. The loss of Finnick was a great thing to many of us, not just Annie. Yet it did affect Annie the most of course. She was the widow of him. But Annie also needed Finnick. Finnick was the one who could bring her back when she was having one of her 'moments', as she likes to call them.

Johanna was just...Johanna. She was the one who made me laugh out of all my visitors. "Turns out, the Capitol has sent someone to go to your house for today. Well they're going to be very disappointed." I chuckled with her, no matter how un-funny the comment was.

"But why are they coming?" I asked her.

"I think they thought they were going to get a few words out of you right before the birth of your chid, it being the day before your due date. Like they were ever going to get that out of Katniss Everdeen!" She explained. This time I only rolled my eyes at her.

"It's Mellark actually," I slyly replied, but I added a worried thought, "Johanna, if they come to the house today and find nobody there, I think they're going to more than likely realise what's going on!" She seemed to question my remark, but didn't stay on it for too long.

Johanna wasn't like Annie during the contractions. She told me urging comments, forcing me to get through them. I'd resorted to pinching the bed sheets through them, to let Peeta's hand have a rest, but he always held it out.

Just before she was about to leave, I asked her to help me get up from e bed, because I felt this sudden need to walk around. She responded with a simple 'alright' and threw her arms out in front of her. I gripped them both and gently pulled my weight off the bed. After I'd steadied myself, I let go of her and took Peeta's hand. She laughed a bit when I started dragging him around the room in circles. That's when it happened. I felt the warm liquid rush down my legs. I gasped in shock and hoped it would stop, but it kept on going. No one reacted till I spoke out the obvious. Not a single muscle was moved. "I think my waters just broke..."

Within seconds, Johanna was rushing out of the room and down the corridor calling for my mother. Peeta got me back onto the bed. When my mother came, she quickly wiped up the liquid, but hurried along to examine me. She confirmed that I was five centimetres dilated.

A while after the commotion, my mother instructed me to get some sleep. She stayed after examining me, jotting down notes every so often. She told Peeta and I that since she came back, she has been recording the interval between each contraction, the figure always being eight minutes. This meant that my contractions were finally regular, but since I was only half-fully dilated, the only thing that could happen now was to wait for the baby to lower itself and for me to dilate more. Peeta hesitantly agreed, since it meant he would have to leave me. From what I later heard, Annie, Johanna, Haymitch and Peeta all went down to the newly-opened canteen on the bottom floor.

Even my mother left. She pulled the covers up and kissed my forehead. It was just like what she did every night when I was still just an innocent child. She flicked off the light switch and the room became darkness. I closed my eyes.

_The first few months were hard, and I kept the secret from him. We stopped trying as soon as I found out. I was closed up for three months. Every month he would ask me if I was ready to start trying again, and every time I said no. I could see it upset him. Yet it wasn't over._

After five minutes, when I was just falling asleep, I heard the door open. It was slow, as if not to disturb me, but the door creaked lightly. I figured it would just be a nurse, quickly getting something, but then the lights came on. My eyes were still closed, as I did not want to open them. Someone came over to me and I could feel a hand being stretched out. Then the person spoke. It was definitely his voice, but it was impossible. He couldn't be here...but he was. The sentence, more like question, came neither slow or fast. It was a normal tone, as if we were finishing a conversation. Yet even so, I hadn't talked with him in a long time. That was because he was impossible. Yet the voice, which really was there spoke loud and clear.

"Want a sugar cube?"


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys! Whoop! This is it! This chapter is my longest one yet, and it explains ALOT. Not only that, but it also goes right up to the naming of the child? This is one of my favourite chapters! It does have the birth, but it isn't too graphic AT ALL...**

**As ever, I do hope you enjoy!**

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I twisted my head to face him. I was in so much shock I couldn't speak. His eyes stared at me with such happiness. His messy hair was still the same shade. His was him, but it just couldn't be true. "Finnick..." I whispered. I felt of tears roll down my cheeks I couldn't believe it. It was Finnick...but he died! I fell back onto my head and whispered to myself. "I must have hit my head really hard recently." He burst out laughing and I eyed him suspiciously.

"Nope, it's me." I sat myself up. His voice was the same...

"But...but...I don't mean to be rude or anything, but you died." He grinned at this.

"That's right, I did."

"Then how are you here?"

"I didn't get blown up you know. I heard the bomb being thrown down. The mutts, they didn't catch me and I realised I couldn't get out the same way. I ran. Katniss, I think they made a copy of me. They made a hologram, of me... I kept running, and nothing came after me. I heard the explosion, and felt the heat behind me. The fire came." I heard pain in his voice. Finnick hadn't been blown up. He was very badly burnt. Yet, there wasn't a single burn scar on him now. He tried to find the words to carry on, but he couldn't. "So...erm...I was knocked unconscious. From what I heard, it took a day or two to find me, and by then, I was in a really bad condition. They...umm...the rebels took me to their hospital and treated the burns." Then he turned back to me and asked directly "The war ended, right?" I could only nod in reply. Despite him staring into space when he gave his long explanation, and his eyes seemed to well up with tears, the tiny smile appeared on his face. "After the war, they must have used that technology...the one they use on you after the games," he started.

"Which made all your scars fade away...," I finished.

"I was brought here to District 12, but was still in a coma. I've been up for a few days you know, but they've wanted to run some tests so I couldn't go out. Then today, I received news that a certain Miss Everdeen was here in labour," he finished. Near the end, he seemed to push any thoughts about the war and games out of his mind, but then he broke down. He fell to the floor, crying into the palms of his hands. I pulled myself up more so I could bend over while sitting slightly. Just enough so that I could touch his shoulder. I whispered comforting words to him, unsure of whether or not it was helping.

"Sssh Finnick, it's OK. Everything is good again. We won Finnick, the rebels won! There's no more games! Everyone is fine. Me, Peeta, Johanna...Annie!" I tried to keep my voice down, but it was hard. He stopped, though, when I mentioned Annie. He looked up at me once again, tear stains all over his face, and whispered in hope.

"Annie?" I smiled. Finnick was very much the same person he'd been all those months ago.

"Yes! She's fine! I mean, at least she doesn't have to suffer as much anymore." Finnick's face became very confused.

"How so?" Then it hit me. It hit, HARD. Finnick didn't know. Finnick didn't know that he was a father. He had no idea that Annie, who was in this same building, had conceived and carried his son. With this in mind, I made up something on the spot.

"I mean, Annie still has those moments...," Finnick cringed at the memory, understanding immediately what I meant, "But at least there are no more games, no more people dying. Surely that must have a great impact on Annie?" Finnick only shrugged in reply. He wasn't used to a world where the games don't exist. He finally stands again, and the conversation we just had had ended. He wiped away the remainder of the tears with the sleeve of his shirt. Then he smirked and pointed to my stomach.

"Who in their right minds got Katniss Everdeen to do that?" he guffawed.

"It's Katniss Mellark actually," I replied back. His eyes turned wide.

"Hang on, Peeta got you to marry him AND have a baby with him? This to the girl who said she would never marry and never have a child?!"

"Peeta wanted a baby, I suggested it."

"Woah. Everything must be amazing, let alone fine!" I wanted to continue this conversation, very much so, but a contraction came. Peeta wasn't here, so my hands automatically gripped the things they were already gripped onto, and one of them was on Finnick's shoulder. I rubbed the sheets between my fingers in the other one so poor Finnick didn't have too much strain on his shoulder. He was silent throughout, and didn't shake off my hand.

We talked for a while. About little things. I spent some time explaining what District 12 was now like. Yet an hour after Finnick first came into the room, I suddenly realised why I was left alone in the first place. "Finnick, erm, you do know I am meant to be sleeping?!" He lightly chuckled, but stood up, ready to go. We said our farewells but, as Finnick was about to leave, I saw a little bit of uneasiness on his face. "There's something still bothering you," I stated.

He glanced at me and nodded. "I just can't work out why they made a hologram of me." My mind suddenly went back to the very beginning of our meeting.

"I know why," I quickly said. I slapped myself in annoyance because I didn't think I did knew. He turned his whole body to face me now, clearly waiting for an answer. "The Capitol wanted me dead. They figured that if I thought you were still down there, I would have gone back for you, and the mutts would have killed me."_ I wonder where all this was coming from..._

"Would you have thrown the bomb down anyway, even if you saw I was still alive?" He hesitantly whispered. It sounded as if it hurt him a lot to say it.

"No!" I almost shout back, "I thought you'd either been killed, or the mutts were killing you and I wanted to end your suffering, like I did with Cato. If you were still alive and well, I would have done anything to save you." He smiled and gave me a light hug, before whispering something into my ear.

"Thank you." With that, he left. He'd be back soon though and he would see Annie and his son. Luckily, he'd switched the light off, so I just snuggled down in the bed.

_The pregnancy was hard, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Everyone close to me helped me get through it. Now, while I was here in labour, I knew one thing for certain. Finnick was ALIVE._

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**So, I could be really mean again and end the chapter there, but I'm actually getting into this chapter a lot and I feel the need to continue.**

**As you realise, I've brought back Finnick. So, I thought he shouldn't have died, but his death was an important part of Mockingjay (in the sense that it affected Katniss deeply and was a big role in her going mad). So, I decided rather than say at the beginning that Finnick never died, I would make up a believable story so that people thought he was dead, but he wasn't.**

**So enjoy the rest!**

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I did sleep. Yet I didn't sleep for very long. When they came back, I was only half-asleep. Peeta burst into the room. I could tell it was him because he whirled into the seat next to me and kissed my forehead. Another person came in afterwards, who immediately says "Ahh...I see sweatheart finally obeyed orders, eh?" I could only describe it has one word. Haymitch. Something in my head clicked and reminded me the only person I hadn't seem yet was Haymitch. Yes, it was time for my educative lesson from Haymitch Abernathy. The last voice spoke.

"Let her sleep. If she hasn't woken up, it means the contraction aren't very strong. She'll need all the energy she gets." It was my mother. I heard her walk out of the room, however, so I was left with Peeta and Haymitch. There was an awkward silence for a couple of minutes before Peeta spoke.

"What did _you_ want to tell her?" Haymitch took his time to answer.

"Who knows." It wasn't a very informative answer, but it'll do. "What do you think of this?" Haymitch asking questions like this was not exactly the most common thing and I could tell that Peeta was as shocked as me when he spluttered over his answer.

"Er...um...Haymitch, you already know that answer." I could feel Haymitch's shrug. I knew the answer to that as well. It was more Haymitch's reaction that was more of vital information. Peeta seemed to think the same thing, because he asks this to Haymitch. "What do you think about it?" I perked up my ears. I wanted to know this.

"I think it's a gift. She's a sign," he explained, in the shortest amount of words possible.

"So you think it's a girl as well!"

"Ahh, Katniss already making assumptions! I knew she would! If even I'm going mad without drinking, it's not a toll on my brain!" So he DID start stopping drinking.

"Yes, about that. Haymitch, are you stopping drinking? Katniss and I have both been wondering about this..." Haymitch burst out laughing, as if he was expecting it.

"It's true."

"Why?" Peeta asked.

"Because Lover Boy, something happened to the world that gave me hope. It gave me a sign that there could be true happiness after everything that's happened to us." If I wasn't pretending to be asleep, tears would streaming down my face. He obviously was trying hard to make it direct, but it was very apparent what he was talking about. This was one of those times that reminded me that Haymitch does speak in such a manner sometimes. "I guess you two gave me that hope." I completely ignored my attempts at being asleep and sat up with such a force, it hurt. Yet I didn't linger on this, and I pointed directly at Haymitch.

"I knew it!" I did have my theories, it wasn't just Peeta.

"So...not asleep then. I knew it!" It said, mocking my tone of voice. "You want to be careful Sweatheart. That could seriously hurt."

"It did."

I put up with Haymitch's talk for about half and hour. I kicked him about when he started to really annoy me and I started to shout at him. Then my mother measured me again and confirmed I was nine centimetres dilated. I'm almost there. Almost time...to push. I talk with Peeta for a bit, and for the first time today I see the true happiness in his eyes. It was the happiness of our child being born that very day. Despite the fact tufts of my hair were flying out everywhere, he gently whispered into my ear "You're so beautiful. You can do this, I know you can do this."

"Hey well, I'm the one who will break your hand. Also I'm the one who has to do all the hard work!" Despite my complaints I pulled him in and we kissed passionately. I wrapped my arms around him as best as I could and he replied by putting his hands on my waist. It was a very odd position since our bodies were facing different directions.

We stopped kissing when the contraction came. Except this one wasn't like any other. It was so much stronger, so much more painful and I felt the sudden need to push. I screamed. I screamed while Peeta held onto me. I breathed fast and heavily in between screams. Suddenly my mother bursted in and immediately took to examining me. She told us that I was fully dilated. When the contraction died down, she explained on the next one I could push.

It came and she told me to push. I squeezed Peeta's hand, and he told me to squeeze harder. He whispered words of encouragement, even though he was making it all up on the spot. "Come on Katniss! You can do this! Just a few more seconds left! Push, Katniss, push!" When it goes I let my head fall back and I gasped for air. Even though I was still squeezing his, Peeta softly kissed my hand. "You did amazing..."

By the third one, I'd stopped screaming, but I was still groaning, panting, sweating and was extremely tired. On the fourth, my mother gave me the news I'd been waiting for. "The baby's crowning Katniss! The baby's crowning." On the fifth Peeta's hand went red and I screamed in the final pains of agony. Then it stopped and I was greeted with a high-pitched wail. I breathed heavily and Peeta and I pressed our foreheads together in relief.

"You did it, you did it..."

"Peeta...," my mother called and I managed to break a short 'go' to him. The connection broke and he walked over to the baby station where my mother was cleaning our baby. I put my chin on my chest, as to get a good view of them. Then he turned back at me, his eyes full of light and joy, and broke the news we'd all been waiting for.

"It's a girl!" I somehow smiled and sighed at the same time. The next thing I knew, was Peeta carrying a bed of cloths to me. There was a gaspy-wailing sound coming from the bundle. It's our bundle of joy. He glanced between me and our daughter, cooing hello at her in his fatherly-way. As he reached me, he lowered her slightly, before finally placing her on my chest. He whispered a small "Here you go, don't cry for Mommy," as he did. I looked at her with such happiness. Small tears formed in the corners of my eyes, and Peeta wiped them away with his thumb. Her little face was bright pink, and her crying formed soft wrinkles. I smoothed them over with my finger and tried to sit up more, so she was now cradled in my arms. Peeta perched on the side of the bed, and I wriggled along to create more room. He wrapped his arm around me and kissed both of us on our foreheads. I leaned my head on his shoulder. For the first time, we were the perfect family. We had a daughter.

Then, another first, I used the same nickname Haymitch and sometimes Peeta used on me. "Sweetheart, hello." The wailing died down then and my mother spoke up.

"She recognises your voice. It's the only thing that she knows that means it's you," my mother explained, sounding as if she was trying to speak through a flood of tears. When I looked up at her, I saw that's exactly what she did. Then the little girl did something else. Very slowly, and with much effort, she opened her eyes. I gasped with so much shock and happiness.

"Peeta, those are your eyes! She has your eyes!" We made eye contact and I grinned at myself. She didn't just have his eyes. She had an exact copy of them!

"So what's her name?" my mother asked. I looked to Peeta, his face telling me what I needed to know.

_This life was hard. Out of all people, life chose Peeta and me to start a rebellion. We showed courage, love and trust. But most of all, we showed ourselves. Then we were blessed with her, our daughter. The whole of our lives has been focused on one thing. We believed in it when we were alone, we believed in it when we were scared, we believed in it when we survived. Then we needed it again when we conceived our child. It was the thing that kept us going. It was the thing that made us feel like we would get through it. This one word is the bases of everything we've ever been through, and it's the only thing stronger than fear. And this is why we named her:_

"Hope"


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey everyone! Happy New Year!**

**So, this chapter is quite different to any of the others I've done since it goes into Finnick's POV in it! It's quite a new experience and I apologise in advance if there's anything wrong with it! I also reveal Hope's middle name! I'd like to thank Belmione for inspiring me with the name - since she used its for their daughter's first name (go check out Belmione's fanfic 'Worse Games to Play'), although I'd always been sure that I would use a flower name, I just wasn't sure which one.**

**Also, check out my poll (on my profile) on which romantic tie you would like to see in the Show Games. I have a plot, I just don't know which boy to choose...**

**As always, enjoy x**

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I handed our daughter to Peeta while my mother cleaned. I wasn't much help, just moving every now and then to make my mother's life easier. After that was done, Peeta placed little Hope in my arms again. I cradled her while humming what I can only describe as a made up tune. I felt Peeta watching us both, smiling at his girls. Hope closed her eyes, and I could looked to see her features. She had small tufts of dark hair and her skin was then looking more olive than pinky-red. "I told you I wanted a mini you, and what do I get?" Peeta asked me, even though the answer was right in front of him.

"A mini me," I replied quietly. With that he got up and moved towards the door. He pointed at the door, mouthing 'shall I get them?' to me. I nodded swiftly, but my attention was darted back to my baby straight away. I heard the door swing open, and Peeta took two steps out into the corridor before breaking the news to our guests.

"We have a daughter," he told them. Before I knew what was happening, Peeta darted back to me, as to get out of the way of Johanna rushing in. Her jaw dropped when she saw me with Hope. Haymitch staggered in after her with Annie coming in, with Finn on her hip, last. Haymitch's face had a mere smile on it, while Annie was grinning a wide as she could. Finn seemed oblivious to anything that was happening and was shaking his head in a toddler-like way. I made eye contact with Johanna and I gestured for her to come over. When she did, I told her to form her arms into a cradle shape. I gently put Peeta's and my little bundle of joy in her arms, but told her some strict words of advice while doing so.

"Careful! She's very delicate!" When Johanna was holding her in a position I was happy with, I dropped my arms and let Johanna walk to the rest of our guests. Peeta sat down in the chair again, and we smiled at eachother before linking arms. Johanna was then standing with Haymitch and Annie either side of her, and he eyed them. Then the two women gasped and then all turned their heads to us. Haymitch also added a comment to whatever they were shocked about.

"Now I wonder where she got those eyes from!" he mocked in his sarcastic tone. I tilted my head at Peeta in reply. "So, whats the little munchkin's name then?"

"Hope," Peeta replied. All three of them stared at us with wide eyes, but they were all knowing eyes. They all understood the meaning behind it. Hope was cooed over for bit, before she was handed back to Peeta. Peeta then took over with his fatherly skills. Everything was quite quiet until little Finn started squirming and sqealing in Annie's arms. Johanna offered to take him outside the room for a bit, and Annie gratefully let her. It was then that my thoughts were turned to Annie. _Not long now._ I was the only person in the room that knew of Finnick's existance. _Soon Peeta and I will not be the only people completely overjoyed._

Finnick POV

I strolled down to Katniss's room. _'Annie will be here'_ she had said. It took a while to get through the selection of corridors. My memory took me the right way, however, and soon I was just around the corner. Yet, I stopped just before the end of this corridor, when I heard a voice. "You know, Annie's lucky she has you." I knew that voice. It was Johanna's. except, my focus was on what she said. What did she mean? Had Annie found someone else? All the questions whirled around my head. It was then, out of nowhere, he came into view. Except he wasn't a man, not even a grown boy. It was a toddler. This confused me at first. The toddler had a shade of which I can only describe as mine. His skin was that golden colour that District 4 is represented by. The question was though, what was Annie doing with a - it hit me then. _I was a father!_

I'd left Annie pregnant! I began to panic, even more so when the little boy raised his arms and squealed. I couldn't wait any longer, so I walked straight over to him. He looked up at me and I stared back...into Annie's eyes. I knelt down so my face was level with the toddler. He squealed at me, painting a huge smile on his chubby little face and my own. I raised my hand and he responded by lifting his. He pressed his palm into mine. He was mine. No matter how hard it was to believe, he was my son.

I glanced to the right and tried to register what I was seeing. Johanna had been slowly backing up. I stood up again as we found eye contact. It was frozen, just for a second, before she screamed. "ANNIE!" She ran back down the short way to Katniss's room that reminded me, had Katniss given birth yet? A daughter or a son? Whatever, Katniss was not the only was who might have had to endure a big surprise. My thoughts were cut short as they all came out. Peeta, Johanna, Haymitch and the first one to appear, my beloved Annie. They all stared at me with utter shock and disbelief.

Peeta looked very different to the last time I saw him. In fact, he looked very much like he did at the start of the 75th Hunger Games, except he didn't look worried or sad. Johanna was still Johanna, except he hair was longer. This was expected since Johanna's head was shaved during her torture in the Capitol. Haymitch somehow looked different, but I honestly didn't know how. Yet, my eyes were focused on Annie. She looked the same as I had left her, except she looked a lot healthier and happier than before. The eyes were still the most beautiful I'd ever seen. Her hair was still the perfect shade. Her skin still glowed in the same way it had always done when I looked at her. _She was shining_.

She ran. She ran straight at me. I didn't run as that would have created the likelihood of us falling over. The impact was strong, but I didn't push her away. In fact I pulled her in tighter. For a long moment, it was just us. It was just us in this whole world; nobody else was here. Except nothing could get a toddler to leave his mother be. "Mommy!" the little voice cried out. My eyes shut tighter at his little voice. It was such a massive shock for me, all this, but I wouldn't have changed it a bit. The little boy wrapped his arms around Annie's leg, gripping on for dear life. Annie smiled, even chuckled slightly, and bent down to pick him up. She placed him on her hip, something she seemed to have done many times before, and looked back at me the same time our son did.

"This," pointing her arm and finger slightly at me and looking at the boy, "is Daddy." Daddy. I loved it already. Our son looked back at Annie with a slightly confused expression on his face, before pointing himself. "Yes, Daddy!" Annie urged. Then, with what seemed to be with all his effort, he replied.

"Daa-dee?" He said it very slowly, and struggled slightly on the syllabus, but it was amazing for me. I felt like I was going to cry any second. Annie looked the same way and asked him a question.

"What's your name?" He knew the answer to this very well.

"FINN!" Every second just made me want to smile even wider.

"Finnick Odair Jr. I couldn't not have your name there somewhere," Annie explained, directly at me. I wanted to hold them both, to escape the world, but Annie's face turned scared. "But...but...you can't be here! My husband died!" She sounded very upset and distraught when she said this and for the first time, I saw how much my 'death' had affected her. She took two steps back, still holding Finn close with one arm. I'd been afraid of this. They wouldn't comprehend with the very apparent and shocking fact that I was alive. I grasped her free hand and looked her very seriously in the eyes.

"Look, I know it's hard to explain, and I will tell you all the full story later, but you need to know, I'm real. It's really me. I never died; badly injured and left in a coma for what seems to be about two years, yes, but I never died. I'm alright. Your not in a dream. This is really happening, and I'm really alive." It was one of the most sincere things I'd ever said to her.

"Well you're right there! Who knows what's going to happen now that Finnick Odair's back!" a voice shouted from the room that many of the people staring at me were standing next to. I grinned and shouted back.

"Still alive yourself? Now that's something surprising! "

"Oy! Watch it! May I remind you that we all seem to be new parents today! You a father, as well as Peeta, and myself..." Katniss hesitated, "a mother..." The last two words were spoken much softer than the rest. I stared into Annie's eyes, and was overjoyed to see only happiness in her eyes. Unexpectedly, she leaned in and kissed me and I kissed her back. We stood there for a few seconds, alone again in our world, before everyone darted back into the room. Annie handed me Finn, to let us get the whole 'Father/Son' time, despite us going into a very crammed room. I smiled fondly at Finn, who grinned back. When we both eventually entered the room, I glanced at Katniss. She was staring up at me, before swinging her head back down to look at the small bundle in her arms.

"Girl or Boy?" I asked aloud.

"Girl," Haymitch replied almost instantly. Again, there was something different about him, but I still couldn't figure out what. Even his voice had changed ever so slightly.

"Hope Mellark," Johanna added, speaking in a much softer voice than her screaming of my wife's name.

"Hope Iris Mellark," Peeta corrected. It was weird hearing his voice so...normal again. He turned to Ms Everdeen. "We had to keep the flower theme somewhere," he commented. Ms Everdeen lightly nodded with a smile on her face._ 'Hope...it's perfect'_ I thought.


	22. Chapter 22

**hello again! I managed to get the next chapter up! As ever, please go and answer my poll which you'll find on my profile!**

**I'm back to Katniss's POV this time!**

**as before, enjoy! X**

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Katniss POV

Johanna screamed in the corridor. She called Annie's name, before rushing back into the room herself. She clearly found it difficult to speak, because all she spluttered out was "Ann-Annie...F-F-F...erm...er". I smiled to myself, now in the knowledge of what Johanna was trying to say. Finnick was there, outside in the corridor. I chuckled lightly, but loud enough for everyone's heads to turn to me. They all looked at me suspiciously and confused. "What's up Sweatheart?" Haymitch asked, clearly impatient. I too couldn't find the words now.

"Just go outside! I swear...you'll been in for the shock of your life!" Peeta eyed be carefully, before responding to my command. He gently placed Hope back into my arms before pushing everyone out the door, Annie coming out into the corridor first. My mother stayed, but frowned. Hope suddenly pushed her hand out from beneath the cloth, and my mother stuck her finger out, which was almost immediately wrapped in Hope's chubby little ones. "Finnick," I whispered to her.

"What about him?" she asked in reply.

"He's alive!"

I listened to the conversation, I felt their shock. I shouted back to Finnick when he said one of the most serious things he'd ever said. I smiled from ear to ear when he came in and admired Peeta's and my creation. The room was crowded, but everyone stayed. Hope seemed to drift off to sleep at one point, so I ordered everyone to turn the volume down. Everyone, to my surprise, complied and the conversation eventually got down to an almost whisper.

One of the main things the conversation went over was explaining to Finnick what happened after his 'death'. "They got into the Mansion!" Johanna explained excitedly. I was forced to remember that after Finnick was gone, Peeta and I were the only ones left who were in that team who were in the room at that moment. Even then, Peeta wasn't exactly himself back then. I was asked to relay what happened to the team. It was weird thinking back to it, but it was also depressing.

"Well, erm...we hid in this small secret room in ladies house. There were only a few of us left. Five of us, I think. Gale and Peeta were there," I started to explain. I hesitated and Finnick jumped in.

"Where is Gale? If I may ask. Even more so, where's your sister, Prim?" I glanced at my mother, whose head had fallen. Everyone had fallen silent, so I was left to continue.

"Well when we left, we split up. I went with Gale. I don't know what happened to everyone else, not even Peeta. There was a lot of bloodshed, and many Capitol citizens were killed. There was so much going on! Then, Gale was taken by the guards. I had to go on on my own. I reached the circle. Ummm...there were children, Capitol children, around the mansion. These parachutes fell to the ground. They caught them. But the parachutes were bombs. They exploded. Then some medics ran in to help them. Except these went just any old medics, they were Rebel medics! Prim...she was among them. They started to help the children! Then the rest of the parachutes went off, creating an even bigger explosion. Prim saw me, just before..." Finnick's head dropped now. Still there was no sound from anyone else.

"Did Gale get killed? By those Guards?" It took a while for me to form the words for an answer.

"No. No, Gale's still alive. He lives in District 2. It was just, the hovercraft which dropped those parachutes had a Capitol symbol in it. Except...it was a District 13 hovercraft... Gale and Beetee had designed that bomb. I blamed him for killing Prim, and he left."

There was a silence where nobody spoke. Even Hope, who was now in Peeta's arms, made no sound. Then Finn made a squealing noise, and Finnick asked us all a question, knowing that a lot more of us could answer. "What happened after that?"

"Sweatheart went mad," Haymitch spoke up. I didn't hurl back that I didn't, because I did. Prim's death affected me too much.

"I spoke with Snow. It was him who convinced me that it was Distrcit 13's hovercraft," I added. Finnick raised his eyebrows to ask the question 'why?', but I just slowly shook my head to say 'Long story and don't want to talk about it' and he seemed fine with this.

"Katniss was told she would execute Snow," Haymitch pointed out.

"But Coin made us vote on having a games with the Capitol children. I said yes," Johanna blurted out.

"I said no," Peeta quietly said.

"I said yes...for Prim," I added.

"I said no," Annie commented.

"I said yes. No, let me correct that! I said 'I'm with the Mockingjay,' Haymitch said finally.

"I would have said no!" Finnick said, sounding ashamed.

"We know," Johanna explained.

"What do you mean 'we know'?" Finnick questioned.

"Annie insisted you would," Peeta replied.

"Well it never went ahead!" I pointed out.

"Why not?"

"Because Sweatheart here, living up to her rebellious self, shot Coin instead!" Haymitch revealed.

"Why?"

"Because Snow wasn't going anywhere! He was tied up! But Coin, well she would have been just as bad as him! It didn't matter, Snow somehow died anyway and we all got sent home. Paylor became President," I protested.

That subject was soon dropped and we somehow managed to get onto the matter of Peeta and I going to the Capitol. "We'd told them we'd come soon after the birth. Then the deal we struck was that they're not allowed to bother us till the fifteen year anniversary thing." Finnick frowned, so I added "Annie can explain that one to you."

"Can I come?" Johanna asked excitedly, as if she was a child again.

"What?!" I replied.

"Well rest assured Katniss, we won't be coming," Annie explained. I nodded in agreement. It would be a lot better if they didn't come, because if the Capitol found out about Finnick any time soon, they would expect a lot more to happen. It would be better to wait until at least some of the 'buzz' on my child had died down. I glanced at Hope, who was still asleep in Peeta's arms, and thought about what her life may bring._ Would she have a normal childhood like everyone else?_

"I'm coming!" Haymitch sang, and my mother (who I actually did want to come) also agreed. After a while, Finn began to get restless, and the decision was made to leave. We decided on the one car for everyone, since that would be the least amount of hassle. I was helped off the bed and sent into the little room to get changed. Peeta came too, but not before placing Hope in Haymitch's arms. To my surprise, despite never having children of his own or ever carrying a baby since his games, he automatically made the correct cradle shape with his arms. When I was done changing, into a pair of trousers and one of Peeta's shirts, I came back into the main room. Haymitch was muttering things to Hope, but as I got closer I realised they were things like 'beware of your mother when she makes 'the face'. Get out of the room!' Finnick, Annie, Johanna and my mother all seemed to be entertained by this, so I took Hope off Haymitch as quickly as I could. She was still asleep, but she was also starting to wake. I held her close, hoping that she wouldn't fully awake too early.

We went all the way down to the reception, passing a few people on the way. They all looked at me in wonder and smiles, one man passing even whispered a small 'congratulations'. When we reached the reception, however, we were faced with another problem. "What if people are out there, waiting for us?"

"Leave that to me," a voice fro behind her said. We turned to see nurse walking towards us. "Give me the keys to the car and I'll drive your car to the back entrance. They won't suspect a thing if I come out fully dressed, ready to go home. My assistant, Rita, will show you to the back entrance. Another nurse, much younger than the first, appeared and motioned for us to follow her. My mother handed over the keys to the car to the first nurse, who quickly trotted down the hallway to the exit. When we reached the back entrance, where thankfully nobody was, we only had to wait a couple of minutes before the car appeared. Peeta and I got in first while my mother thanked the two nurses. Peeta sat next to the window and I sat down next to him, pulling Hope back towards my chest to conceal her more. Annie and Finnick got in next, again with the known person sitting next to the window. Annie fell down onto the seat and positioned Finn on her lap so the person next to her couldn't be seen. Finnick sat opposite me, leaving the space on the other side if both of us for Johanna and Haymitch. Haymitch ended up next to me, which was quite awkward with me caressing and cooing at Hope. He didn't seem the slightest bit bothered.

As we drove round to the front, we saw a bunch of people outside. One or two of them, even from the distance we were to them, could be seen as being photographers/film crews. I started to wonder how desperate the Capitol were. It was a basic journey home, and it seemed like no time at all till we got there. After I clambered out of the car, Hope still in my arms, I stopped outside the house for a second. Peeta put his arm round us both as I whispered to Hope. "Welcome home Hope! Welcome home."


	23. Chapter 23

**Right. I'm going to try a double bill tonight, so I will have hopefully posted two chapters before midnight!**

**There's really nothing else I can say, so ENJOY X**

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The Odair family left soon after we arrived back home. I guess it was easiest for them. Getting away quickly before the news spread was the best idea. They also kind of had to go, since the only train to District 4 this week was today. Although it was sad to see them go, I knew that it wouldn't be long before we saw them again. As they started to get into the car, which my mother was kindly driving to get them to the station, Annie hugged me tightly and whispered something into my ear. It made no sense, but I remembered it anyway. "Keep strong hearts. Keep the show going."

Johanna went with them, but only to find out when the next train to District 7 was. She returned home with the information that the next train was the following day, and that she'd meet us in the Capitol. While Johanna and my mother were gone, Peeta and I found ourselves sat on the sofa. Haymitch was somewhere in the house. Hope was now awake and she stared at us both, her parents, with her big blue eyes. "Hello baby," I said to her.

"Curious girl, aren't ya?" Peeta added. It was the perfect family moment. A moment ruined when Haymitch shouted from the kitchen.

"YOU TWO! WHERE'S MY BREAD!?" I rolled my eyes. Peeta responded better and unravelled his arms from around me, before getting up and walking into the kitchen, leaving arms suddenly cold.

"Do want something? Some toast? You haven't eaten all day!" Peeta shouted. Even though he never said my name, I knew the question was directly at me. I shouted back yes because now that I was thinking about it, I was starving. A few moments later, Haymitch put across his actions to us.

"I'm leaving! Good luck!" he ended sarcastically. When I thought he'd left, I started describing things to Hope.

"Ignore everything he told you earlier little one. Haymitch is the one to look out for." Suddenly his head appeared round the corner, and I eyed him suspiciously. I felt like kicking myself for not realising that Haymitch would have probably not left the second he sang his comment.

He didn't have a go at me though. He just stated simply and quietly "You know, you really are going to be a good mother."

After Johanna and my mother returned home, Hope started screaming when I was eating my toast. She was in my mother's arms, and had been for at least a couple of minutes. We were alone in the room, with Peeta getting ordered to supply more toast by Johanna, and she looked up at me. "You'll need to breast feed her." She taught me, there and then, how to. I got the hang of it, holding Hope in the correct way, but Hope kept refusing. I sighed at the realisation she'd received the stubborn gene. Eventually she got it though, and soon she was sucking contently. "You're just feeding her colostrum now, the real milk will come in a few weeks."

At the same time Johanna marched up the stairs, munching on her toast, Peeta appeared. He smiled at the scene before him and sat back down next to me. I decided to give him the news. "She's as stubborn as me!"

The rest of the day went too fast for my liking. I changed Hope, something that was a new experience in, and I succeeded in doing so. My mother appeared downstairs with some of her bags in the early evening, claiming she was going to stay in Peeta's old house. She explained that 'we needed to learn straight away how to look after her by ourselves, but she would stay close in case we desperately needed her. Peeta handed over the keys, to which I'd no idea where he kept, and she left.

Hope fell asleep in Peeta's arms, and he carried her upstairs with me tagging behind. He handed to me quickly, before scampering into Hope's room and pulling out a folded up wooden object. I didn't understand what it was until it was unfolded and neatly set in our room. It was a cot. A very small, baby's cot. I didn't even have to say anything while I set Hope in it, admiring her innocent face. I turned round to see Peeta holding a very small blanket. It was a shade of cream and I touched it with my fingers, finding out it was very soft. He placed it on top of her and we stood there for a few moments, looking down at our very small but perfect daughter.

Afterwards, Peeta and I walked to the door of Hope's room and he said the words that I'd wanted to hear for a long time. "Do you want to see?" I nodded excitedly in reply. He opened the door and I padded in. My first reaction was a gasp. All the walls except one were painted a beautiful yellow colour. The furniture was all light wood. There was a chest of drawers (which the top for the time being had been converted into a changing station), a small wardrobe, a rocking chair which had deep purple velvet as well and a cot. The cot stood proud and was bigger than the temporary one in our room. Except the real star was the last wall. Peeta had created a whole scene. At the bottome there was District 12, every last inch. The bakery was there, Victors Village, Greasy Sae's little shop. It made me realise how much District 12 had changed since the war. Behind them were the woods. I imagined being there, the smell of the trees. Yet it got better. Behind the woods, was a sunset. Not just any old sunset, one like the ones that Peeta and I love. The whole painting was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. "It's perfect..."

I knew it was coming, but it was still unexpected to be woken up at ten, and then again at one thirty in the morning by a screaming child. The first time we'd both woken up, and both Peeta and I watched patiently as Hope fed. The second time, I woke up and Peeta was beginning to wake, but I ordered him to stay asleep. This carried on for the next couple of days. At first there was no pattern, but after a while, she seemed to want to feed every fathered hours. On the third day, Peeta demanded that as soon as she was starting to bottle-feed, he would be the one to wake up every night and feed her since he didn't find it very fair that I was the one having to keep wake up.

On the fourth day, Peeta and I decided to get this Capitol thing well and truly over and done with. There was no point trying to put it off, the Capitol would just come after us. Anyway, the quicker we got it done, the longer we had without the Capitol disturbing us. The next train to the Capitol would be when Hope was one week and two days old. Then, the train coming back would be three nights later. The arrangement was agreed and we made three calls. One to Peeta's house, to tell mother when we were going; one to Johanna, to tell her what day to turn up and one to Plutarch, to tell him we're coming.


	24. Chapter 24

**So, I didn't manage the double bill in time, because this chapter took FOREVER to write.**

**I still need more votes on my poll, so please come and vote!**

**As always, enjoy x**

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The day we had to go came way to fast. Peeta and I were spending every possible minute with Hope, but she was fast getting spoilt. On the sixth day, I decided that I needed to go out for a bit, just to get some healthy fresh air and walk round the town. I'd told Peeta I'd get some food, but he mentioned he'd also bake some bread. As I walked along, I found a lot of people staring at me. They all smiled. I'd gone back to wearing Peeta's shirts, since my bump was now the size of an early stage of pregnancy. My mother told me it would go away in about three months or so. It wasn't until I reached Greasy Sae's that someone came up to me though. I entered the little store with much surprise at the amount of people there. At least ten people were talking about in the main room, holding flasks of soup. A young woman, probably in her mid-twenties, came up to me. "Has a healthy Mellark been born?" I smiled and could only nod in reply. I was quite open and friendly, which was strange for me since I was usually very secretive and concealing of myself.

Another voice shouted "girl or boy?" I bit my lip as I decided whether to answer or not. I realised if it was Peeta, he would have answered truthfully and without hesitation.

"Girl," I replied. "Name to be revealed in a few days," I added, before anyone asked. I walked over to the counter, where Greasy Sae was standing. It felt awkward at first with lots of people staring at me but, one by one, they all left over the course of ten minutes. We were the only ones left, Greasy Sae and I, and I broke the news to her. "She's called Hope." She stopped for a moment to let what I said break in.

"That's such a pretty name," she finally commented. I ended up buying four flasks of soup, one for each adult attending lunch. I headed around a few other stores, buying supplies to last a few days. When I got back, Peeta was delighted at my fortunate thinking of buying the soup, since he hadn't cooked any himself. Though he did bake bread, which we had with the soup at our late lunch while Hope was taking her afternoon nap.

It seemed all too soon we had to leave for the Capitol. We'd packed the day before, bringing a collection of things for Hope. She had the biggest amount of things, despite only being a week old. We walked to the station, carrying out things with us. Even Haymitch had brought a bag if belongings and was carrying it with no difficulty. He walked behind us, still drowsy from his last bottle of liquor. As we were walking, many people saw us and their eyes widened, or their jaws dropped. Hope didn't seem to be bothered or completely unaware of her fame, because she started wailing as loud as she could on the journey. We were nearer to the station than we were to the house, but I still found it quite embarrassing. For some reason, most people were not disturbed by this. I mean, a few children covered their ears as if there was some deafening sound, but many of the adults just smiled with sympathy.

Upon reaching the station, Hope fell asleep. The train was a late one, departing at around seven o'clock in the evening. This meant I wasn't surprised when the carriage we entered first was completely empty. I didn't let myself get my hopes up that we'd be alone, since we'd arrived very early at about five-thirty. We followed the signs to our assigned rooms. What really shocked me was when I saw a cot set up in the room Peeta, Hope and I were staying in. Yet it didn't take me long to work out that Plutarch must have contacted the train station and made sure that when we got tickets, we would get a certain room. All our rooms were in the same carriage, Haymitch's being the one in the middle. We set our bags in the rooms, before heading back to the main carriage.

We'd brought a pack of cards, so we started playing the same game Annie, Johanna and I had been playing on the day of Hope's birth. Our daughter was being held by Peeta, which left my hands free to beat Haymitch. I was no use though and Haymitch was too good for me. About an hour after we started the game, we felt the train start to move. As first it was slow, but eventually the speed became so fast we were flying through Panem. This train was faster than any other train I'd ever been on, only taking one night to get to the Capitol. Since the games were no longer on, the Capitol obviously devoted themselves into achieving other, more important things. Only half an hour after that, we all went to bed. One reason was because the more sleep we got, the less tired we would be when we got to the Capitol, but Peeta's and my reason was more so that the earlier we went to bed, the more sleep we would get in despite being woken up every few hours. We were proved to have made the right decision, the first of what seemed to be the many times that Hope would wake up hungry in the night.

At the five o'clock wakening, Hope still wouldn't go to sleep after I fed her. In fact she started screaming not two minutes later! I took the quick decision to take her to the main carriage, otherwise shed wake up everyone else. She kept screaming. I patted her gently on the back, I rocked her back and forth, and went through sayings like "Please go to sleep sweetie" and "Hope, please". Nothing seemed to work. That is, until I started singing to her. It wasn't the first time I'd sung to her, but it was the first time I'd sung intentionally for her. It started out with me singing the meadow song, but that only stopped her a little. So I went on to singing a very special song. I'd only sung it once in my life, and that was for Prim. It tied in so much with her feelings at eleven, the year before her first Reaping. I didn't really know at the time whether I'd made it up or whether I'd heard it somewhere, but somehow I was certain about the second theory. I was a bit rusty nod couldn't quite remember the words, but I got there in the end.

'_I remember...um...tears? Streaming down your face,_

_When I said I'll never let you go..._

_When all those...er...shadows almost killed your light?_

_I remember you said,_

_Don't leave me here alone,_

_But all that's dead and gone and passed, tonight_

_Just close your eyes,_

_The Sun is going down,_

_You'll be alright,_

_No one can hurt you now,_

_Come morning light,_

_You and I'll be safe and sound'_

I remembered the rest of the song easily and it all came flooding back to me. I rocked Hope back and fourth as I sang the song, and soon she went back to sleep. It wasn't until I got to the last chorus that the most spectacular thing happened. The train rounded a corner, and the light of the rising Sun hit me like a moonbeam. I felt the orangey colour on my skin as I mumbled the last words of the song.

'_Just close your eyes, the Sun is going down,_

_You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now,_

_Come morning light,_

_You and I'll be safe and sound'_

I closed my eyes, enjoying the slight warmth on my skin. Hope, now asleep in my arms, curled up against my body. I walked for a few paces, before sitting down. "You know, you really can have a sweet heart sometimes Sweetheart," Haymitch's voice rang. I turned to the doorway where I saw Peeta and Haymitch standing. Peeta was smiling fondly and Haymitch was just smirking.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked them both, to which Haymitch replied.

"Ever since you walked into the carriage in the first place!" I wanted to groan, or even growl, but I seemed to be fine with the fact that they'd heard me. I wouldn't have seen them, since it was too dark.

The following five hours went quite quickly from there. We talked, then when Mother appeared we had breakfast, then we played cards (again), then I had to feed Hope, then we packed all our stuff and before long, we could see. The Capitol. It suddenly hit me that I hadn't been here since my trial. All the streets had been damaged back then. What would it look like now?

We spent the rest of the train journey talking and watching the world go past, all our bags surrounding us. As we passed the streets, it became clear that the Capitol really had done something while we weren't there. As we glanced towards the station, we could see that the place was completely packed full of people. Then, out of nowhere, a shield type thing covered the windows, preventing anyone looking out, but also in. I grabbed a bag myself and carefully put it onto my back. Everyone was ready to go, when a man walked in. He smiled in a friendly way and asked us to come with him. As we walked down a few more carriages, he explained to us that the Capitol had guarded off one area, where they had got a car waiting to take us to the place we were going to stay. Even though I was grateful for all this protection for Hope, it dawned on me that whatever Peeta and I had done, it was never going to be forgotten. Peeta stood on my right as we exited the train, blocking me from the crowds on our right. I hid Hope as best as I could in my coat.

During our car journey, I saw the place we were staying. The building that had once been the feared building where the tributes used to stay, was now joined with a couple of other buildings to create one huge 'hotel'. We stopped right outside one of the entrances, and were guided in. The entrance we'd stopped outside wasn't one that was part of the original tribute building. We hit a wall of fresh flowers scent as we entered. Peeta and I stood there, admiring the decoration of the surroundings, when we heard her shout. "Katniss!" Our heads turned to the voice. I grinned as the one and only, Effie Trinket, walking our way.

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**Hope you liked my little tribute to the song 'Safe and Sound'!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey everyone. So, I haven't updated for a few days because I've literally been so busy I only got a chance to write it now. Other than that, there is no news.**

**Three things though.**

**One. since my poll idea has FAILED. Can you answer this quick question in you review (if u haven't already done the poll). In my new story the show games, would you prefer to see a romantic tie between Katniss&Peeta's daughter with Finnick&Annie's son OR Katniss&Peeta's daughter with Gale's son?**

**your choice.**

**Two. I decided to put a little Peeta POV from a bit from the last chapter. This explains the scene a bit more, but I also really like it.**

**Three. From my calculations, I have determined that there will only be three chapters + an epilogue left!**

**Other than that heart breaking news, I hope you enjoy!**

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Peeta's POV

I heard the door open and close, then the sound of a screaming child. Before I could comprehend what was going on, I heard a clutter outside. That made me sit up straight and realise that Katniss and Hope were not in the room. I flung the covers off me and ran towards the door. However, when I opened them, a certain middle-aged man was standing out in the corridor, sloshing his forbidden drink around. "Haymitch?!" I loud whispered. He turned his head towards me.  
"Ah! Lover Boy! What brings you out?" I furrowed my eyebrows.  
"Katniss and Hope are gone. I think the question is rather what are _you_ doing out here?"  
"Your little munchkin woke me up. Seriously, doesn't she have an off button?" He replied sarcastically. "Anyway, Sweetheart went in that direction," Haymitch continued, pointing his finger in the way of the main carriage. I pushed him out of the way as I walked past, but it became clear that he was following me. Through the closed door, I heard Katniss's voice, except it was singing. It was singing a song I'd never heard before. It wasn't until I was right up by the door that I could make out the actual words. I pulled at the door, relieved when it slid into the wall without making a sound.  
Katniss was there. She was standing with Hope in her arms. Hope was quiet, which was different to the wailing I'd heard before. Except when Haymitch was going to walk in, I held him back. 'Let her sing,' I mouthed and he rolled his eyes. I leant my head against the door frame and listened to the words.  
"_Just close your eyes,  
The Sun is going down,  
You'll be alright,  
No one can hurt you now,  
Come morning light,  
You and I'll be Safe and Sound."_  
It was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever heard.

Katniss POV

Effie almost broke into a full run when she saw Hope in my arms. She rushed over, exclaiming in delight "Today is going to be a big, big, big day!" She immediately held her hands out as to take Hope, and I obeyed without further argument. Today was not a day to start messing around with Effie Trinket. She started walking back towards a lift, and Peeta and I followed, gesturing what we were doing to everyone behind us. As we caught her up, we heard her mumbling words. "I do wish you'd open your eyes. That way we can see what colour onesie we should dress you in. Don't worry, your Mom and Dad will look just fine!" I broke into a small run to keep the lift open when Effie got in. Peeta squished in, and the four of us stayed silent. As the lift doors opened, we were welcomed by the smell of fresh leaves. The corridor was plastered in dark red velvet walls with golden lights and jewels hanging off the ceiling. It looked very expensive indeed.

Effie started walking again, and Peeta and I glanced at each other with confused expressions as she evaded towards a door. Yet she stopped, unexpectedly, and gasped. "She has your eyes Peeta!" I rolled my eyes and fought the urge to shout something like 'Yeah I worked that out on the day she was born!', but I knew I couldn't. One, because Effie was just Effie and two, Effie hadn't actually seen Hope before.

It wasn't until we were inside that the real show started. Effie stepped aside to let Peeta and I walk in. She was now cooing and smiling fondly at Hope, as if she had just worked out the gravity of the situation and realised who she was holding. I walked in first, but clutched Peeta's hand. I looked up and too my utter astonishment, my Prep team were there. They looked at us with wide eyes and smiles, but when Effie came round us, their smiles turned to screams of joy. Octavia jumped forwards and asked Effie if she could take Hope. Hope's little pink onesie was, what I figured, the only way they knew that she was a girl. My prep team didn't know her name, neither did Effie for that matter.

The little scene played out for a few minutes, until everyone got over the initial joy. "What's her name?" Venia asked.

"Hope," I responded. I knew that w e were supposed to keep it a secret, but I couldn't not tell my Prep team. "But you can't tell anyone!" All four people standing in front of me nodded their heads and I let the subject go.

The rest of the day whisked past. Effie listed the schedule with ten minutes of entering the room. "Breakfast first, then the rest of the morning is free. You may do anything you please. Lunch will be held in the main Reception area at two thirty, where Capitol officials will once again meet you. After that, we will be prepped and readied by our hired stylists. At six o'clock sharp, you will be taken down to the waiting room, and then at six thirty your interview will start." Peeta and I didn't seem to bothered over the planned schedule, but we weren't incredibly thrilled to be thrown in at the deep end and have to talk to many people who we hadn't spoken or seen since the war.

We were abandoned soon after, and I fed Hope while Peeta went to go and get the rest of our bags. He came back in with frustration in his eyes, but a grin replaced the eyes of anger when he saw me and Hope curled up against the bed headboard. "What happened?" I asked softly. He dropped the bags and looked up and me.

"Oh Peeta, don't forget the schedule. Breakfast will be coming in five, but the trays will be picked up at precisely thirty minutes after arrival," he exclaimed in his best Effie voice. It was so funny I was almost rolling around on the bed, but I stopped myself because Hope was still in my arms. He pushed the door lightly with his fingertips and it shut quietly. He threw himself onto the bed as I put Hope down on the covers right in the centre. She looked up at us, curiously. She'd been doing that lately. She'd stare at us blankly, before shaking her head around. Then she'd look at us again when we laughed.

We tested her baby skills. I stroked her cheek lightly, and her head shot to the side. Her little mouth opened slightly, as if she was about to feed. When she found nothing there, she turned her head to the other side. Her arm on that side extended, and the other bent. Mother called it the 'fencing' position and said it was a very natural thing to do. I placed my finger in her palm, and she gripped it tightly. She let go eventually, and she faced us again. Peeta wrapped his arm around me and we stared down at our little daughter. She had a few tufts of hair now. The hair was the colour of my hair. Peeta was right, she was a mini me with his eyes. Peeta tickled the soles of her feet, and they jerked back a bit. Then pushed back to their original position.

It wasn't until we heard the door swing open that we left our cute scene. Johanna marched in, screaming at us for not telling her that we had already arrived and how she had been 'waiting in her lounging area'. When she looked up at us, her face was bright red with anger, but it softened when she eyed Hope on the bed. She grinned and rushed over to us, grabbing Hope before we could object. "Hello Hope, I'm your Aunt Johanna." She started walking randomly around the room, and all Peeta and I could do was watch. Eventually, it became apparent that she was falling fast asleep, and within five minutes of Johanna walking in, she was in her own little world. The cot set up in the room was white with crisp white sheets, but a cream coloured blanket. Hope lay in her 'fencing' position and we admired her little chubby cheeks until Haymitch walked in.

"Oy, you two, come here! There's something you need to see." Johanna stayed with Hope while we followed Haymitch. We went through a selection of corridors and lifts, until we started coming to a place that seemed oddly familiar. It only hit me when we walked into the main section. It was the old District 12 tribute accommodation. Haymitch kept going until he reached the point where you went to the roof. "Go look. Enjoy!" Then he sauntered off. Peeta went up first.

"Katniss..." He called down as I started going up. When I got to the top, I saw what he was on about. The garden was no longer a garden. The garden was a wildlife reservation. There were trees and flowers of different kinds. There were small birds twittering. There were bushes full of colour. One tree even had apples on it. There was still a force field, which was proven when we threw an apple at it, remembering our old game. Yet the force field was probably more for protection, what with the building being so high. The edging was lined with small fences, to make it look as if there was no force field. There was no concrete in sight. It was heaven.

We returned back to the room, running down all the corridors. We found Johanna still with Hope, but also a breakfast tray on the table. Johanna left and we quickly stuffed ourselves with food. All it did really was show us how hungry we were. Then we took Hope to the roof. It was a hectic journey there, and we almost bumped into Paylor who was rushing about, but we dodged her just in time. The rest of the morning was spent in this newly-found paradise. We plucked different flowers and leaves and handed them to Hope. She'd grip them for a bit, holding on like they were pieces of gold. She examined them, pushing them right in her face, making it look as though she was smelling them. Maybe she was. She threw some down onto the grass, others we took off her. One flower was quite sticky, and she'd wanted to throw it to the ground, but it irritated her when it wouldn't come off her hand.

We didn't want to leave, but when it neared two o'clock, Hope started wailing. I fed her right there on the roof, as I had done for the eleven o'clock feed, as I didn't want to take a screaming baby all the way back to the room. When we returned, we were immediately dragged in by my prep team. They cooed over Hope, who was now asleep, for a couple of minutes before hurriedly 'neatening up' Peeta and I. We shut up and though about what we going to do and say, rather than complain on how this was never part of the schedule. At the last minute, we were put into new clothes. I was wearing a light blue dress than seemed surprisingly plain, with only a flower by waist as decoration. Peeta was dressed in a suit, the shirt being the same colour as the dress I was wearing. As we were pushed out of the room, my mother appeared from the corner and explained to us that she would watch Hope. I was glad that I had the knowledge that Hope would be safe and sound.

Standing in the lift side by side, made Peeta and I both realise exactly what we were letting ourselves in for. He held hands, gripping each other in anxiety. Effie joined us when we reached the floor with the Reception. There was no camera in sight, but there was a bustling amount of noise coming from around the corner. My heart pounded as I walked in my small heels. I wobbled slightly and took a deep breath. _This is it,_ I thought.

Everyone stared as we came into view.

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**oh wait! One more thing! Seeing that I am 3 reviews away from ONE HUNDRED reviews, I promise to give the 100th reviewer a preview to the hand-drawn poster of the Show Games which will be put on the story on 14th February (Valentines day)! x**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hey all. So here it is, the fifth till last time I will ever post on this story. The next two will be the last chapters, then the epilogue and finally my authors note.**

**please continue to answer my question!**

**as always enjoy, and the next chapter _will_ be posted tomorrow!**

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I took the first move. I didn't mean to, but I did. I was wobbling a bit in my shoe, so I took a step forward to steady myself. That's when the 'lunch', or party as if it really was, started again. Peeta and I were swarmed by a mass of people. Some I recognised, some I didn't. It was Paylor that ordered them to stop harassing us, and they made way for her to come through. For the first time, I admired her. She still looked the same. Her dark hair and eyes still flourished with colour, and it was apparent that she hadn't gone with the Capitol fashion, as she appeared in a tight blazer and skirt. It was natural and formal. It was President looking. It suddenly occurred to me that I had met and jolly well defeated two thirds of all the Presidents since the original Rebellion that took place more than seventy-five years ago.

I took her hand with a smile, and she brought me forward to a small group of people, Peeta being dragged on behind me. "They don't need introducing, just warm welcomes," she instructed the group, and I was very grateful that Paylor had become President. Her rule meant the end of all hardship. I instantly recognised Plutarch, but it took me a couple of seconds to recognise Claudius Templesmith. I'd only met him a couple of times before. I never really thought about what happened to him at first, though he did do the commentary for the news on TV from time to time. I expected he went into some other high standard job after the Hunger Games stopped.

"So, Katniss and Peeta, or should I say...Mr and Mrs Mellark?" Claudius asked slyly. It was weird hearing him say it, Mr and Mrs. Mrs Mellark, I thought to myself, what have you done in your life to deserve that title?

"Whatever you choose Claudius," Peeta answered. Claudius nodded in reply, raising his eyebrows slightly at the idea.

"So, is the Girl on Fire still there?" Plutarch hinted. It took me a while to form my answer, but even then, it wasn't perfect. I wasn't at ease like Peeta was.

"Well-"

"Ha! Girl on fire?! Katniss Mellark has gone soft!" Haymitch rudely interrupted. He'd been lurking behind the group the whole time. He'd just been waiting for his move to jump in. I glared at him. I threw my reply back at him in half a second.

"Well maybe I wouldn't have it if..." Hope hadn't come into my life... I couldn't finish the sentence though, it would have given everything away.

"Ah yes, how is your...baby?" Plutarch asked.

"Daughter," I corrected. I couldn't bare anybody else hesitating over it. It wasn't like it gave everything away, they'd still have to wait for her name. Peeta raised an eyebrow at me, as if he hadn't been expecting it, but he didn't look bothered either way.

The group who stood before me either nodded their heads or smiled slightly. I didn't really understand why, but maybe they were in disbelief. Before things became too awkward, Peeta and I steered ourselves away from the huddle, intent on finding someone easier and outgoing to talk to. I wasn't expecting him to be there, nor for him to be the next person we were to speak to, but he was. He stood there bravely, his arms crossed behind his back. "Tax?"

He waved at me, so I waved back. I sauntered off towards him, completely ignoring Peeta who was being dragged into another conversation. He'd played such a small role in my life, Tax, but he'd always seemed to be something much bigger. Tax wasn't a threat. "Still hunting?" He asked causally as I took a glass of water off the table to my right.

"I haven't hunted in weeks. Not with, you know, the baby," I was more careful this time. His head bowed a little, as if acknowledging what I said. I turned to look at the crowd. I could see everyone now, and it became apparent that there was a good twenty or so people here. "What's your role now?" I asked Tax, keen to know what job was of such high importance, he gained to status to be here.

"I'm head of the guard. I train volunteers in the small chance of another war breaking out. It's a decent job, and well up my street. Yet I'm only here because Paylor permitted it when I begged. I couldn't miss the chance of seeing the Girl on Fire again," he explained.

"I'm not really the Girl on Fire anymore you know. I'm just Katniss Mellark. If anything, I'm the Ex-Girl on Fire according to Haymitch. Apparently I've gone all soft." Tax threw his head back in laughter at this remark, although there really was no emphasis on it.

"No! Katniss Mellark will always be the Girl on Fire, then her daughter will be the Girl of Fire! The actions you did Katniss will always be remembered, whether you like it or not."

"I just hope they're seen in a good way. I'd hate to think that the world hates me because I started the rebellion."

"You lit the fuse many people before you had started to build," he corrected. "Everything you've ever done is seen as goodness. No matter how many lives were lost, the same amount would have been gone if the Hunger Games had continued. Something had to happen soon." I questioned this for a moment, soaking in everything Tax had said to me. It was true. Haymitch had done something which started the rebellion; many people had. It was only the love that bound Peeta and I together that lit the fuse. The bomb exploded when the force field blew up. It was a continuous chain of events that had to happen, I suppose.

Lunch was as all food in the Capitol was, exceptionally good. As I sat there with Peeta, Haymitch and Effie, I felt the loss of Cinna and Portia. It had dawned on me soon after the war ended, that Cinna said he would tell Portia I said goodbye. However, if he was immediately killed after that quick torture I'd witnessed, my message never reached her. Maybe it did. After all, the Victors had been tortured, not killed. Maybe they were in cells near each other, and my message was one of the last things Portia ever got to hear of me. Peeta's stylists and Portia had been executed in public, but Cinna was never mentioned. He would have been taken away for a private execution, since everyone who agreed with Cinna's dress idea would have been outraged, and a war might have started within the Capitol. All these things were questions I never got the chance to find out the answer to.

So the note I found when I got back took me by surprise. It was addressed to me, and my name curled in Cinna's handwriting. I didn't dare read it, not yet anyway. I put the slip of paper to one side, and hugged Peeta tightly. Hope slowly stirred as we sat there, and soon all three Mellarks were staring at each other in silence.

My prep team came all too soon, and demanded my attendance. I complied, not wanting to argue back. I'd agreed to it, after all. It suddenly dawned on me that Peeta had almost never been prepped by my team until today. It wasn't like he needed much. Now the games were over, it seemed the men were the ones who could go with their natural look. Women had to be plastered in different colour eyeshadows and lipsticks.

I watched Peeta entertain Hope while I was getting prepped, and by the time I was ready, it was near five o'clock. So late, Hope was demanding food within five minutes of Peeta and I swapping. I looked at him, and he was rolling his eyes towards the bathroom. I fed her there. I sat myself on a laid out purple towel, which had little threads which supplied something for me to fiddle with.

Half and hour before six, Hope was asleep and the Prep team had disappeared to get our outfits. "What shall we do?" I asked aloud, even though it was only Peeta there to answer. He shrugged at first, but after a few moments, he extended his answer.

"Tell them the truth. We can only be ourselves now. We don't have to pretend anything." I turned to smile as him and stroked his cheek. It was true. There was no need to pretend now. I was in love with Peeta, and nothing would ever change that. I leant in for a kiss and our lips met for a second, but we were interrupted by Octavia bursting into the room.

"We've got them!" She was shortly followed by everyone else, including my mother. We each took turns getting dressed, me having to go last. I knew there was a clue when Peeta appeared wearing a crispy green shirt and jacket. Even more when Flavius handed me a light pink onesie for Hope. When my turn came, I thought I knew what to expect, but I didn't. The dress wasn't just a basic green, it was the grass. The pink were flowers, and the shimmery gold the sunshine. It was beautiful. I stared at myself in the mirror in front of my Prep team, who were clearly waiting for my reaction.

"What happened to the Girl on Fire?" I questioned, frowning.

"Oh she'll be back tomorrow!" Venia blurted out, but then she smacked her hand against her mouth as if she wasn't meant to say that, but Flavius quickly moved on.

"It's meant to represent the end of suffering. The flowers are to show everything that's grown since the end of the war and the Hunger Games. The Girl on Fire has blossomed..."

"So what do you think?" Octavia eagerly asked.

"It's amazing."

Peeta and my mother were surprised as well. They gaped at its beauty. The dress really was a success with everyone.

The descending lift became my problem. Hope was in my arms, as it was always agreed. Peeta and I held hands, which was more of a natural instinct. My mother didn't come. She went with the Prep Team to the other side to watch the big screen. We were alone.

The doors rolled into the sides, and my first reaction was that there were too many people there, but there wasn't. Some of the Capitol officials had gathered, but I eyed Johanna who was standing forward and in the centre. Her hair was in waves, and she was wearing a luminous wave colour. It reminded me of District 4. She held a pearl necklace on her neck, that shone in a way that looked like it was waves.

She was the first to notice our presence, the corridor being so full of chatter, and smirked at us wildly. "Glad to see you three!" That caught everyone's attention, and the whole room seemed to stare at us, or Hope to be precise. Not one head didn't try to peek a look at her as we walked past. The whole corridor was silent as Peeta's and my shoes hit the floor. We didn't stop until we reached Johanna.

"We're not late, your just early," I pointed out, trying to soften the situation. It didn't work, as I should I known it wouldn't. Our fame was sometimes frustrating in the Capitol, and it was almost too common, but I reminded myself that once this is over with, the Capitol weren't allowed to bother us for another thirteen years or so.

"A girl born of fire," Plutarch voiced, repeating what Tax had told me earlier. He walked towards us as the crowd began to talk again, getting over the initial shock.

"A girl born of beauty," Peeta replied back. Plutarch reached us, and stood directly in front of me to look at Hope. Her eyes were open, revealing her inheritance of Peeta's eyes to him. As a new face, Hope studied him, shaking her head in odd directions.

"A girl born of hope," Plutarch whispered. I smiled. At least people would understand easily the meaning behind her name. _At least there was hope_, I thought,_ it's the only thing keeping the world going._


	27. Chapter 27

**Right, short chapter now. But I promise the next chapter will be the longest chapter EVER in this story. Shave got lots of things to stick in there, including: the end of the interview, the note, the day after the interview (where they will be visiting the Capitol), the journey home and the night they return to District 12.**

**as always, the chapter to the show games will be put up either tomorrow or Saturday, because I have to do revision for my science exams coming up :'(**

**also, please continue to post your answers to my question!**

**finally, congrats to goldensnitch1, who was my 100th reviewer! They will get the poster in due course, and it will be revealed on the show games officially on the 14th Feb 2013.**

**as ever, ENJOY x**

* * *

Plutarch guided us into a room and that was empty until we came in. Johanna explained that Haymitch was getting interviewed now, then they would have a short video summarising the games, then Johanna herself would be interviewed, followed by another short video summarising the war, before we would make our 'grand appearance' as she called it. Haymitch stuttered in not two minutes after this, and he mumbled furiously. "Damn the Capitol. Stupid questions. 'Are the star-crossed lovers doing well?' Yes of course they're doing well otherwise why would they be here?! Stupid questions."

We left him to his own devices until he finally registered our presence. "Ah it's you two. Glad to see you made an appearance then."

"It's not our fault it took seventeen hundred hours to get us ready!" I blurted out. Peeta squeezed my hand a little, and finished off my point in a much more reserved and calm way.

"The Prep Team seem to have this thing of taking half an hour to get clothes on. They want every little reaction possible."

Johanna disappeared not long after this short conversation, and that's when I started fretting. It wasn't usual for me, but I held Hope tighter, for fear of her life. "What if they try to do something?" I whimpered.

"It will be fine! The Capitol promis-"

"Well the Capitol seems to make lots of promises! Even if they promised not to bother us, I highly doubt they'll keep that promise if our children have done something which to their standard is of 'high importance'!" The whole room froze, and I stared into Peeta and Haymitch's blank faces as I tried to figure out what I said wrong.

Yet it was what I said right.

"Children? You mean, we can another one?" Peeta asked eagerly, lots of hinting and hope in his voice.

"What HAS that boy done to you?" Haymitch pointed out.

"I'm not saying yes! I'm just saying there might be a chance! And you!" I exclaimed and pointed at Haymitch.

"What?!" He said, looking taken back.

"Ugh, it doesn't matter!"

Johanna's return settled things slightly and the riff between mentor and Mockingjay ceased. What it did cause, was for me to quiver more, and all too soon it was time to go. As we took our places in the wings, Plutarch whispered to us that Peeta could go on first if we wanted. I looked at Peeta, secretly hoping he would say yes. If he went on and relaxed, maybe I would too. He seemed to see this, or had particularly good judgment, because he said yes.

We listened to the recap of the war, and for a few moments we were forced to remember what he fought so hard to forget. When the summary was over, we didn't say a word. Hope squirmed in my arms.

"Just close your eyes...

You'll be alright...

Come morning light...

You and I'll be safe and sound," I softly sang to her.

"So! After months of waiting! The Wedding and the baby! Please welcome on stage, Peeta Mellark!" Caesar's voice boomed. I glanced at Peeta and he nodded, before letting go. I moved my position so I could see.

The noise was deafening. The Capitol crowd cheered. Peeta raised his hand and waved subtly. I looked at Caesar. He hadn't changed. His hair was blue again, as it was for our first games. I quickly took a look at Hope, who'd curled up against my chest to the warmth. I heart was there too, and I felt as if she was listening to it, resting her cheek on the part where the pump was so obvious, it moved. Peeta shook Caesar's hand, before sitting in the chair nearest to him. That left a smaller length for me to walk. Not much less, but smaller all the same.

It was clear that the natural cooperation and easiness between Peeta and Caesar hadn't changed, and it was all to soon they were laughing. "So Peeta, how is lovely Mockingjay?" he eventually asked, after some small talk on Capitol products, like their new soap!

"Katniss is doing great; never better," Peeta replied,

"Well I trust she's here today?"

"Yes! I'm surprised we didn't get side tracked though, the Capitol looks much more alive than it ever did," Peeta explained, clearly trying to change the subject for me.

"Oh yes, but the Mockingjay was part of that, no?" Caesar questioned.

"Yes, Katniss saved lives as well, she didn't just save Panem. I trust you know of the gift to us, possibly in return?"

"Yes, your baby..."

"Daughter," Peeta replied, breaking the first part of the news. The crowd cheered and screamed in joy again.

"Daughter? Well, I think it's time to bring her out, along with your lovely wife," Caesar pushed.

"Agreed," Peeta answered back, although his answer probably wouldn't have made much difference anyway,.

"So! Without further ado, please welcome back, the lovely Katniss Mellark!" It was my cue, and I took it. I placed one foot on the stage, and Caesar and Peeta turned to me. The crowd couldn't see me yet, but I bet they were leaning forward, trying to catch a glimpse. Caesar's face seemed overjoyed, but I wasn't sure it this was true emotion, or just for the show. After the first step, it became easier, and I walked on stage at a slightly faster pace; just slower than my average. As soon as they were visible, I turned to the crowd. They screamed ten times louder than they had before, and I saw a close up of myself with Hope on the screen. The Capitol style hadn't changed much, and the room looked pretty much the same. Yet for some reason, there was something oddly different about it. I took my seat next to Peeta and our eyes locked. "So here we are! The lovely Katniss, how are you?" I found the words, though my throat was dry.

"Fine Caesar, as always," I spoke, "You look well yourself!" He nodded slightly.

"Yes I'm very well. I see we have another visitor tonight. Your daughter?"

"Yes..." I stared down at Hope, tilted her head slightly to the side. I leaned forward and brought her out slightly although still holding on as tight as I could. It was just enough movement for Caesar to see her. "As you can see Caesar, she is of both our inheritance."

"She certainly is a pretty baby," Caesar replied, quite quietly and subtly than hs usual tone. I turned Hope to the crowd, and raised her head slightly so they could see her eyes. I watched the screens as Hope's face was focused, and the camera drew in on her. She lived by her curiosity, and glanced around her. "So what is her name?" Caesar asked. The crowd hushed down, and it seemed like the whole world had fallen silent for this one moment. I looked around at the people, which is when it hit me what was different.

His chair was empty, and I could see the gold band across it, stating his name. He never would have wanted me to fail, to turn back. He would have wanted me to strive forward. He knew it was coming, his torture, he'd brought it upon himself. He did it for me, though; for the rebels. He did it for the future. He designed my wedding dress, in the knowledge that I would always marry Peeta. He knew. I had to do this, for him. He was one of the reasons for my daughters' name. I was suddenly reminded of the note, and told myself to read it tonight. Yet this was now, and I finally tore my eyes from his chair. _Cinna_.

"Her name," I stated slowly, "Is Hope."


End file.
